Ramaswamy pulls TV spot after week of criticism from both parties

Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has taken down an advertisement that has drawn criticism for a week from both parties. The ad featured Donna Arthur, the biological mother of Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, calling her daughter a liar.

The commercial had been set to air through Election Day. Court records from Mahoning County show that Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with sexually abusing Acton when she was 12. Acton has said the abuse ran from ages 10 to 12. Her mother lost custody of her. After pleading not guilty, Cledith Arthur posted bond, left the state to avoid trial and remained a fugitive until he died in 2004. Acton has said she has not seen her mother in 50 years.

Protests have followed Ramaswamy as he has campaigned across Ohio. Republicans told News 5 that they worried the ad would drag down the rest of the ticket. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called reporters to the Statehouse last Thursday to condemn it and told Ramaswamy to pull it "immediately."

Speaking to reporters in Dayton on Thursday, Ramaswamy said the ad was finished. "It ran to completion, and we've put up 4 other ads," he said, then said he would like the last days of the campaign to "really be about policy."

Acton spokesperson Addie Bullock said the ad should never have run. "Vivek Ramaswamy should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and it's totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio," Bullock said. "Vivek Ramaswamy has shown Ohio exactly who he is: an out-of-touch, self-serving billionaire who will do anything, and harm anyone, to get what he wants."

Ohio's general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.