WorldPosted at: Oct 22 2026 8:25PM


US VP JD Vance defends GOP Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over controversial ad on Democrat opponent Amy Acton

Columbus, Oct 22 (UNI) US Vice President JD Vance has defended Vivek Ramaswamy over a controversial campaign advertisement targeting Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, telling fellow Republicans to “stop whining” as criticism of the advert spreads across party lines.
Vance’s response reflects his reluctance to abandon political allies under pressure, an approach that mirrors President Donald Trump’s confrontational style as the vice-president prepares for a potential presidential run in 2028.
The advert, produced by Ramaswamy’s campaign and backed by a reported $4 million statewide rollout, features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her childhood and urging voters not to elect her governor.
“She lies about her past,” Arthur says in the minute-long commercial. “She’s lied her entire life.”
The ad does not mention that Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s care after Acton accused her stepfather of sexually abusing her at the age of 12, adding that her mother sided with the stepfather, leading to an estrangement lasting nearly five decades. According to Acton’s brother, their mother remained married to the alleged abuser until his death.
Acton, a physician, said in a statement posted on Facebook that she had been sexually abused between the ages of 10 and 12.
“I’ve always known that she was deeply sick and unwell, and it’s sad to see Vivek Ramaswamy exploit her all for his own political gain,” she said.
Her brother, Philip Stearns, described the advert as “disgusting”.
Appearing at a campaign stop for Ramaswamy in Ohio on Wednesday, Vance dismissed the backlash and criticised Republicans who had condemned the commercial.
“I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” he said.
Asked whether the ad was appropriate, Vance said it was “not really my concern”, adding that politics was tough.
The ad has proven deeply controversial and highly polarising one, with many lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans alike criticising it. Ohio Senator Jon Husted, who appeared alongside Vance and Ramaswamy at a campaign rally, said he would not have run the advert.
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy “a bad guy”, adding that it was a shame he continued to get away with such tactics.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he “probably wouldn’t run an ad like that”, while Ohio Department of Development director Lydia Mihalik described it as a line that should not be crossed.
Democratic figures also condemned the commercial. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called the decision to exploit Acton’s alleged abuse “an appalling display of cruelty”, while US Senate candidate Sherrod Brown described the advert as “disgusting”.
The Columbus Dispatch and Akron Beacon Journal endorsed Acton after the advert emerged, with the former describing it as “revolting and unsettling”. Conservative commentators also warned that the campaign could backfire by generating sympathy for Acton. Donald Trump Jr, however, defended the commercial and urged Ohio voters to watch it.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has continued to stand by the advert, saying it performed well among persuadable voters. Campaign manager Jonathan Ewing called it a “campaign-ending moment for Amy Acton”, arguing that people who knew her best were warning voters against her.
An October survey by Marist showed Acton leading Ramaswamy by 50% to 43% among likely voters.
Vance’s defence of Ramaswamy fits a broader pattern of refusing to publicly disavow allies when they face controversy. During his 2022 Senate campaign, he defended then-Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene after she appeared at an event organised by white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
“She is my friend, and she did nothing wrong,” Vance said at the time. “I’m absolutely not gonna throw her under the bus.”
He also backed Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno during a controversy over an adult dating website account linked to Moreno’s work email during the 2024 Ohio Senate primary, and has refused to disavow conservative commentator Tucker Carlson amid accusations of anti-semitism.
After racist and anti-semitic messages emerged from a leaked Young Republicans group chat, Vance said on X that he would not join the “pearl clutching”. At a Turning Point USA event in December 2025, he also rejected political “purity tests”, saying: “I didn’t bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to de-platform.”
A source close to Vance told Axios that the vice-president had little patience for Republicans who backed down under pressure from Democrats and the media.
“It drives him crazy to see the cucked reaction from some establishment operatives and politicians in the GOP, who he views as nothing more than useful idiots for the left,” the source said.
Some Republicans see Vance’s approach as influenced by Trump and technology investor Peter Thiel, a longtime mentor of the vice-president. The source said Trump’s refusal to yield to political opponents was one of the qualities Vance admired most about the president.
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