Illinois first lady MK Pritzker has thrown significant financial support behind Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, contributing $500,000 to her campaign just days after a controversial attack ad from Republican Vivek Ramaswamy surfaced.
In a statement released Wednesday, Pritzker—wife of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender—framed the donation as a stand against what she called Ramaswamy's divisive tactics. “Bad men gain power when we refuse to stand up and fight,” she said. “Vivek Ramaswamy represents everything that is wrong with our politics today: arrogance, cruelty, dishonesty, and the belief that it's acceptable to say and do anything for power.”
Pritzker added: “This race is about standing up to bullies, confronting extremism, and making damn sure that men who thrive on cruelty and division don't get a free pass to govern. Ohio deserves better, Ohio deserves Amy Acton as their Governor, and I'm willing to fight for her.”
The controversy began Tuesday when a one-minute video circulated on social media featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur. In the video, Arthur claims her daughter has “a serious problem” and “lies about her past,” including assertions about growing up in a tent. The ad ends with Arthur urging Ohioans not to vote for Acton, saying “if you think she'll make your life better, you're fooling yourself.” Arthur does not mention Ramaswamy by name.
Acton has previously spoken about being estranged from her mother. In an August 2019 interview with The Vindicator, she confirmed the estrangement. According to The Associated Press, court and police documents show that Acton's stepfather, Cledith Arthur, abused her as an adolescent and was later charged with raping her. He pleaded not guilty but was subsequently indicted by a grand jury.
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, responded to the ad on Tuesday, noting that their mother and stepfather lost custody of the children and that their mother remained married to her stepfather until his death. He condemned the ad as an attempt to exploit Acton's childhood trauma for political gain. “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 twelve years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said. He called Ramaswamy “a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”
Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it produced the ad, though it said Arthur was not paid for her participation. The campaign initially remained vague about the video's origin but later announced it would spend $4 million to promote it ahead of next month's election. Spokesperson Connie Luck defended the ad, saying, “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.”
Acton's campaign responded with its own ad featuring Stearns speaking directly to the camera, recounting the abuse and declaring Ramaswamy “not fit to lead.” In a subsequent statement Wednesday, campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said, “Vivek Ramaswamy investing $4 million to run a repulsive advertisement that gives star billing to Dr. Acton's abusive mother is both despicable and entirely predictable from a scam artist who has spent this campaign standing alongside abusers and sex predators.”
The ad has drawn bipartisan criticism, including from Meghan McCain, who slammed the ad as 'dastardly'. Meanwhile, the Ohio races remain tight, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rating the governor's contest as a “toss-up.” The controversy is likely to intensify as both campaigns ramp up spending in the final weeks.
