Vance defends Ramaswamy amid bipartisan backlash over Ohio attack ad
publishers 27articles 30first reported 21 Oct, 16:54 UTCdeveloping since 21 Oct · 9 editions
Vice President JD Vance defended Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday as an attack ad featuring Democratic rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother drew criticism from both parties.
The ad shows Donna Arthur calling Acton “a liar” and questioning her account of a traumatic childhood. It does not mention that Arthur’s husband was charged in 1978 with raping Acton when she was 12. Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody, and the stepfather was never prosecuted after the couple left Ohio, according to the BBC.
Ramaswamy acknowledged that his campaign produced the ad after an initial online version reportedly appeared without a sponsorship disclosure. He pledged to spend $4 million airing it across Ohio. WSYX reported that the Ohio secretary of state was reviewing complaints concerning the advertisement.
During a campaign visit, Vance said whether the ad was appropriate was “not really my concern” and described himself as “a little bit disgusted” by Republicans who were complaining about it. At a rally, he praised Ramaswamy for having the “audacity” to run a commercial calling Acton a liar.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace called the ad “shameful,” while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley described Ramaswamy as “a bad guy.” Republican Sen. Jon Husted said he would not have run it. Acton’s campaign responded with a video in which her brother supported her account of childhood abuse and condemned its use as a political attack.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 12 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 27
- Source articles
- 30
- Given to the writer
- 8, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 12 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →