TAKE IT DOWN!

Republican Slams His Wannabe MAGA Replacement Over Vile Ad

Even Vivek Ramaswamy’s party are disgusted that he’s questioning his opponent’s abused childhood.

Vivek Ramaswamy has been hit with the most damning GOP condemnation to date over his vile attack advertisement featuring his opponent’s estranged mother.

Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has called out Ramaswamy, saying the MAGA candidate who hopes to replace him should stop airing an ad that attempts to cast doubt on Democrat Amy Acton being a victim of horrific childhood abuse.

Play Video

The ad paints Acton as a liar. It narrated by her estranged mother, who Acton last spoke to in 1978. Acton testified that she was raped by her stepfather, her mother’s new husband, but her mother took her husband’s side, and stayed with him until his death. He lived with an active arrest warrant for charges of raping his own daughter when she was under 13.

“The ad, on its face, is deeply, deeply troubling,” DeWine told reporters at the statehouse in Columbus on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. “It’s wrong to run this ad.”

He added, “I would urge Ramaswamy’s campaign to take this down.”

DeWine, who is termed out in January, stopped short of withdrawing his endorsement of Ramaswamy, who, according to a CNN poll released this month, is trailing Acton by as much as eight points.

AD NAUSEAM

GOP Insiders Make Grim Admission Over Vile MAGA Ad

Ewan Palmer

Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond to an email seeking comment about DeWine’s remarks.

Ramaswamy, 41, a 2024 presidential candidate who leveraged his MAGA loyalty into a Trump-endorsed gubernatorial bid, has proudly taken responsibility for the 60-second ad and pumped $4 million into broadcasting it online and on TV.

Among those supporting his decision to double down on the ad after it leaked this week are far-right Laura Loomer and Vice President JD Vance.

Play Video

Behind the scenes, Republicans admit the ad has backfired badly.

“We’ve lost the plot,” a Republican strategist told Time. “We had a real good chance, and then we do this two weeks out.”

A second Republican insider added: “We now deserve to lose this race.”

The ad includes an interview with Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur. Acton says she was sexually abused by her stepfather between the ages of 10 and 12, while her “birth mother did nothing to protect me.” Her stepfather was charged with rape but fled Ohio and lived as a fugitive until he died in 2004, having never been convicted.

Acton says she has not spoken to her mother since those accusations, but that did not stop Arthur from agreeing to go on camera to badmouth her child, now 60, nearly five decades later. In the ad, she calls Acton a “liar” and claims she has “a serious problem” and “needs help.”

Acton’s campaign immediately fired back with its own advertisement. The 30-second spot features her younger brother, Phil Stearns, condemning Ramaswamy’s vile video.

Play Video

“I received a lot of abuse, but Amy always got the worst of it,” Stearns said of his stepfather’s abuse. “She continued to receive that abuse because she knew she had to protect me from that, and if she hadn’t done that, who knows where I would have ended up.”

He added: “She was 11 and 12 years old, and to think that that’s somehow a talking point—shame on Vivek. The contempt he has for Amy is the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.”

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Josh FialloBreaking News Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.