Donna Arthur appears in an ad urging Ohio voters not to vote for Amy Acton
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Amy Acton’s Own Mother Urges Voters to Reject Her in Explosive New Campaign Ad

Ohio’s governor’s race has suddenly acquired a deeply personal twist. A roughly one-minute online ad features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, urging Ohio voters not to support her daughter in the upcoming midterms.

In the ad, Arthur says, “My name is Donna Arthur and I’m Amy Acton’s mother…Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true.”

Arthur then delivers an even more direct warning: “My daughter needs help…Don’t vote for people who lie. 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.”

That is quite a political broadside, especially when it comes from a candidate’s own mother. The ad began circulating overnight, about two weeks before Election Day, giving Ohio Democrats and their nominee an unwelcome October surprise. Campaign season apparently decided ordinary attack ads were not dramatic enough.

Acton is running against Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican billionaire and former 2024 presidential candidate. Fox 8 reported that the race is tight and that spending on Ramaswamy’s behalf has exceeded $120 million. The ad does not mention Ramaswamy by name, but its timing and subject matter have made it impossible to ignore in the governor’s contest.

The ad’s origin remains uncertain. It first surfaced in a post by an Ohio political blogger and quickly spread across social media. It does not include the “paid for” tag legally required for television advertising, so viewers cannot immediately see who sponsored it. The report also says it was not immediately known who produced or paid for the spot, how it was obtained for posting, or whether Arthur received payment.

Arthur’s last known telephone number has reportedly been disconnected. That makes the sourcing question even more significant, because the public has the message but not a clearly identified campaign, committee, or organization behind it.

The family history described in the report goes back to 1978. According to the source, Arthur has not seen Acton since that year, when she lost custody of Acton and her brother following disturbing sexual abuse allegations. Arthur’s husband, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged with raping Acton, who was reportedly 12 years old at the time, after her biological father reported the alleged abuse.

The report says Acton and her brother went to live with their biological father. Arthur remained with Cledith Arthur and stayed married to him until his death in 2004. Acton has said that, during a courthouse encounter connected to the case, she tried to kiss her mother, who turned away, and that she never saw or heard from her mother again. Acton has described that moment by saying, “That was the last time I ever saw her.”

Arthur disputes the details of that specific interaction, saying she called out and Acton turned away, but both accounts agree the courthouse encounter was their last in-person meeting. The estrangement has lasted nearly 50 years, and the family dispute has now been placed directly in front of Ohio voters through a controversial political ad.

For voters, there are two separate questions: what they make of Arthur’s accusations and who authorized the ad. The available report does not resolve the sponsorship issue, leaving the message circulating online without a clearly identified political source.

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2112505876292468997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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