Mother of Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate urges voters not to support her daughter: 'She's a liar'
The woman in question is Donna Arthur, mother of Democrat Amy Acton, whose remarks were published in an unattributed video that quickly went viral on social media.
The mother of the Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio is asking people not to vote for her daughter. She is Donna Arthur, the mother of Democrat Amy Acton, whose remarks were posted in an uncredited video that quickly went viral on social media.
Acton, who served as Ohio's health director from 2019 to 2020, is seeking to become the first Democrat to govern the state since Ted Strickland in 2011. Her opponent is Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former presidential candidate.
With the election just weeks away, a video of Arthur went viral, in which she asked Ohio voters not to vote for her: "I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent—and it's not easy for a mother to say this—but 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. She's lied her entire life. My daughter needs help, and she can't help you if she needs help herself. People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn't doing that," she added.
Acton's response
In response, Acton's campaign released a statement from her brother, Philip Stearns, who referred to Arthur as "an estranged and abusive mother." He also criticized Ramaswamy, whose campaign did not claim responsibility for the ad, stating that he did not expect Ramaswamy to "stooped to such a despicable low " as to "turn into a political talking point" the sexual abuse Acton suffered at age 12 at the hands of his mother's husband.
According to police and court documents obtained by the Associated Press, Cledith Arthur, Amy Acton's stepfather, was arrested in July 1978 and charged with raping his stepdaughter, who was 12 years old at the time. The alleged abuse is said to have occurred between December 1976 and April 1978. Arthur pleaded not guilty and was formally indicted by a grand jury in September of that year. He subsequently failed to appear at a court hearing and remained a fugitive at least until 1981. He died years later.
Acton has publicly recounted that she suffered abuse and neglect during her childhood and that, at age 12, she ended up living in a tent during a period when her family was homeless.
"After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core - a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants," Stearns added.
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