Vivek Ramaswamy ‘doubles down’ on ‘disgusting’ attack ad featuring opponent’s estranged mom, spends millions so more people see it

Vivek Ramaswamy’s bid to become Governor of Ohio is faltering. Over the summer he was ahead in both polls and prediction markets, but things have rapidly changed since September. As of writing, his Democratic opponent Amy Acton has pulled ahead in most polls, with prediction market Kalshi now giving her a 79% chance of victory.

Ramaswamy’s campaign has spent the week under heavy bipartisan criticism after producing an attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Acton. In it, Donna accuses her daughter of being a liar, showing her saying: “Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”

Bringing your opponent’s mom into the race would be highly unusual in any event, but in this case it’s But as Acton was removed from her mother’s custody at age 12 after allegations of sexual abuse from her stepfather (her mom stood by him over her), Ramaswamy has been accused of “weaponizing” her childhood abuse against her.

“This is beyond ghoulish”

Acton’s brother described the ad as a “despicable low” and there’s been a chorus of revulsion from Democrats. But, remarkably, Ramaswamy has also been criticized by Republicans. Ohio Sen. Jon Husted said, “I would not have run that ad”, and Ramaswamy’s former primary opponent, Casey Putsch, said he’d cross party lines to vote for Acton to end Ramaswamy’s political future.

So what’s Ramaswamy doing? Well, according to MSN, he’s “doubling down”, putting millions of dollars behind the attack ad to ensure as many people see it as possible. While the controversy raged, Ramaswamy confirmed he’s pledging $4 million in funding to ensure this attack ad is played as frequently as possible on television, doubtless hoping every registered voter in Ohio sees it before election day.

The ad continues to generate intense controversy. Streamer and commentator Hasan Piker summed it up, describing the move as symbolic of something “completely broken in American society beyond repair. I know the Republican consultant class are ghouls. I know the Democratic consultants are ghouls, too, but this is beyond ghoulish. This is something new.”

He added: “This goes beyond just the way that Republicans are campaigning, this goes beyond winning and losing races. This is a moral wound; a self-inflicted moral wound, and I’m not exactly certain how we get better. I’m not exactly certain as to how we become a normal, functioning healthy society after this.”