Vance Says He Is 'Disgusted' by Republicans Criticizing Ramaswamy Ad Featuring Acton's Mother
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Image: NBC News.
Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday in Cincinnati that he is “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,” referring to an ad for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, according to The Hill and NBC News. The New York Times reported that the vice president backed the advertisement, noting Acton’s mother has been estranged from her since Acton’s stepfather was charged with child rape.
The ad features Acton’s estranged mother calling her a “liar” and urging Ohioans not to vote for her, NBC News reported. Acton has previously recounted being sexually abused by her mother’s husband as a child, and her brother said Tuesday that their “birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” NBC reported; Acton said in a 2019 interview with the Youngstown Vindicator, cited by NBC, that she had not seen her mother since a hearing in the 1978 court case against her stepfather.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who is running for a full term to Vance’s former seat, said he “would not have run that ad,” and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., called it “the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season,” according to NBC News. Conservative commentator Meghan McCain said the ad was “dastardly” and “never should have been created,” and an aide for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, deleted his post sharing the video and apologized after researching it, NBC reported.
Vance told reporters: “Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days,” NBC reported, adding that “whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern.” NBC also reported that several members of Ramaswamy’s campaign previously worked on Vance’s political team.