NO SHAME

MAGA Candidate’s Nemesis Twists the Knife Over Disaster Ad

Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping that doubting child rape will give him a much-needed midterm boost.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has blasted Vivek Ramaswamy for using the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent in a twisted campaign ad.

Ramaswamy, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for Ohio governor, has been widely condemned for featuring Amy Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, to attack the Democrat as a “liar” who “needs help” in a midterm campaign ad.

Acton has not spoken to her mother for decades. Arthur lost custody of both her children in the late 1970s while standing by the man she was married to after he was charged with raping his stepdaughter, Acton, when she was 12 years old.

Haley, whose bitter rivalry with Ramaswamy dates back to the 2024 GOP presidential primary, has twisted the knife over the biotech entrepreneur’s vile efforts to win over voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

On Monday, Acton’s team released its own campaign ad featuring her brother describing the physical and sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of their stepfather, Cledith Arthur, who has since died.

The clip was shared online by an X account declaring that “Haley and the Haley girls must be laughing their t--s off tonight” at the condemnation Ramaswamy is receiving.

In response, Haley said she was “Not laughing,” but was “just seeing what we tried to tell everyone back then.”

“He’s a bad guy,” the 2024 presidential hopeful added. “It’s a shame he continues to get away with it.”

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Haley and Ramaswamy frequently clashed on debate stages during the GOP presidential primaries, which Trump did not bother to attend because he was the overwhelming favorite to win the nomination.

During a televised debate in November 2023, Haley called out Ramaswamy after he once again used an opponent’s family member as a line of attack.

Ramaswamy defended joining TikTok, despite concerns about the video-sharing app’s links to China, by noting that Haley’s daughter was also on the platform.

“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley fired back. “You’re just scum.”

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On Tuesday, Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, condemned Ramaswamy for using the siblings’ estranged mother after she remained married to the man accused of raping Acton as a child.

“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said in a statement released by Acton’s campaign.

“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.”

The campaign ad featuring Donna Arthur does not directly mention the sexual abuse allegations. Instead, Arthur seeks to discredit other claims made by Acton, including that she “grew up living in a tent.”

“None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life,” Arthur said.

Ramaswamy is still planning to run the ad online, at a cost of $4 million. “This is a campaign-ending moment for Amy Acton. The people who know her best keep warning Ohioans about her,” Ramaswamy campaign manager Jonathan Ewing told Axios.

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Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty to raping Acton when she was a child. A grand jury indicted him in July 1978, but he failed to appear for a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981, the Associated Press reported. He died in 2004.

Multiple polls show Acton leading the Ohio gubernatorial race. On Monday, a Marist poll had Acton ahead of Ramaswamy by seven percentage points (50 percent to 43 percent) among likely Ohio voters.

The Daily Beast has contacted Vivek Ramaswamy’s office for comment.

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