Days before the US midterm elections, an attack advertisement for the Ohio gubernatorial race has kicked up a storm nationwide.

The advertisement, produced by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ’s campaign, features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. Arthur calls her daughter “a liar” in the ad and suggests she has mental health problems.

But the ad omits the disturbing reason for the estrangement: Arthur’s second husband was charged with raping Acton when she was a child. Acton, then 12, and her brother were subsequently removed from Arthur’s custody.

Vivek Ramaswamy is not fit to lead. Watch our new ad. https://t.co/EhWNMdFjjH

— Dr. Amy Acton (@amyactonoh) October 20, 2026

The advertisement has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, even though US President Donald Trump and Vice President J D Vance have publicly backed Ramaswamy.…