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By Sam Stevenson and Hollie Silverman
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Dr. Amy Acton’s brother has issued a forceful defense of the Democratic gubernatorial candidate after their birth mother appeared in a widely circulated video accusing her of lying and urging Ohio voters not to elect her next month.
In a sharply worded statement provided to Newsweek by Acton’s campaign, Philip Stearns accused Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy of exploiting his sister’s account of childhood sexual abuse for political purposes and condemned the video as a personal attack.
Newsweek has not independently established whether Ramaswamy or his campaign was involved in producing or circulating the video.
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“We don't know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor," Connie Luck, spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign told Newsweek in an emailed statement Tuesday.
“Ohioans are struggling with rising costs and need a governor who can help them. Vivek wants the election to focus on how to solve these problems, but unfortunately Amy Acton has repeatedly resorted to lying about Vivek and his family, lying about her own record, and then hiding from debates and hiding from voters by barring cameras at her own events.
“Vivek has accepted debate invitations from CNN and WLWT because he believes Ohioans deserve to hear directly from the people asking to lead their state. He stands ready to defend his record against Amy Acton’s defamatory lies. If Amy disagrees with these criticisms, she should stand before the people of Ohio, answer the questions, and let voters decide for themselves. The fact that she won’t, and Vivek will, should tell you everything about who’s really lying.”
One post of the video clip by journalist and podcast host Walter Curt's account had been viewed more than 1.4 million times on X at the time of writing. The footage, which appears to be in the form of a campaign ad, has since been widely re-shared across the social media platform, with some users describing it as "brutal."
"My name is Donna Arthur, and I’m Amy Acton’s mother," the speaker says at the start of the minute-long recording.
After describing work in child and family services, Arthur says she loves her daughter but believes the Democratic nominee has been dishonest about her opponent and upbringing.
"She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true," Arthur says, before telling viewers: "Don’t let her become your governor."
The intervention lands as a new ActiVote poll gives Ramaswamy a 2.8-point lead over Acton, although the wider polling picture remains mixed and ActiVote’s topline advantage for Ramaswamy falls within its reported expected error.
Ohioans will choose a successor to term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine on November 3.
What Is Known About Acton’s Childhood and the Video
The statements of Acton’s mother in the widely circulated video are allegations, not independently established facts.
Published accounts describe Acton’s childhood as unsettled.
Her parents divorced when she was 3, after which she moved frequently with her mother, living in around 18 homes by age 12 and spending one winter in a tent at a campground, WKBN27 reported.
She later moved in with her father and attended Liberty Schools, according to the CBS-affiliated TV station.
The recording of Acton’s mother does not explain when it was made, who financed its production or what specific statement about Ramaswamy prompted the accusation.
Social-media posts carrying the clip describe it as a political advertisement, but the available official campaign material reviewed by Newsweek did not verify that provenance.
Polls Point in Opposite Directions
ActiVote’s survey, conducted from September 27-October 19 among 400 likely midterm voters, put Ramaswamy at 51.4 percent and Acton at 48.6 percent.
Its reported average expected error was plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
The poll also placed Ramaswamy ahead among self-described centrists, 62 percent to 38 percent.
That subgroup finding carries greater uncertainty than the statewide result because it is based on fewer respondents.
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A separate co/efficient survey conducted October 5-6 among 925 likely general-election voters showed Ramaswamy on 45 percent, Acton on 43 percent, Libertarian Don Kissick on 3 percent and 8 percent undecided. Its margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.49 percentage points.
Neither result demonstrates a decisive Republican lead. Both place the difference between the major-party candidates inside the survey’s stated uncertainty range.
Two other recent surveys, however, put Acton ahead.
A Marist University poll conducted October 15-18 among 1,176 likely voters showed Acton leading Ramaswamy by 50 percent to 43 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
And a Bowling Green State University/YouGov survey of 1,000 likely voters, conducted from September 29 to October 9, placed Acton ahead by 50 percent to 44 percent. Its margin of error was plus or minus 3.95 percentage points.
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Senate Numbers Add to GOP Concerns in Ohio
The same Marist survey found signs of a broader challenge for Republicans in Ohio.
Democrat Sherrod Brown led Republican Jon Husted by 48 percent to 44 percent among likely voters, while President Donald Trump’s job approval stood at 43 percent, compared with 55 percent who disapproved.
Forty percent described their prospective congressional vote primarily as a vote against Trump, nearly twice the 21 percent who viewed theirs mainly as support for him.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Robert Greenall and Alfred Joyner
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