WHOA! Ohio Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Amy Acton’s Mother Appears in Attack Ad: “She’s a Liar… She’s Lied Her Entire Life.” – UPDATE: Acton Responds
By Jordan Conradson Oct. 20, 2026 8:15 am
In a move that is sure to send shockwaves through the Ohio gubernatorial election, Donna Arthur, the mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, has come out calling her daughter a “liar” and urging people not to vote for her.
Donna Arthur and Amy Acton are estranged. Acton claims that she was neglected as a child after her parents divorced at age three and that “she lived in 18 different places in a 12-year period, including in a tent one winter, before eventually going to stay with her dad and his relatives.”
Arthur has previously accusedActon of exaggerating or inventing stories about her childhood, including abuse from her stepfather between the ages of 9 and 12.
Now, in a new anti-Acton ad circulating on social media, Donna Arthur is seen telling voters, “don’t let her become your governor,” and that she’ll make Ohioans’ lives “worse.”
“I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent — it’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem,” Arthur says in the ad.
“She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.”
“My daughter needs help, and she can’t help you if she needs help herself. People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn’t doing that,” she continues.
“Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”
WATCH:
Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate Amy Acton's Mother Appears in Attack Ad
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https://rumble.com/embed/v7ey2a6/?pub=4
Acton’s campaign responded in a statement this morning by Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, slamming Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and claiming that her mother was complicit in alleged sexual abuse she faced from her stepfather as a child. “Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” Stearns claimed, decrying Ramaswamy’s ad as “desperate” and “disgusting.”
Today, Dr. Amy Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, released the following statement condemning Vivek Ramaswamy’s attempt to platform their estranged and abusive mother:
“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,” said Philip Stearns, Dr. Acton’s brother. “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.”
This comes after Acton accused Vivek Ramaswamy of using artificial intelligence to lie about her family earlier this month in a hoax that got fact-checked by local media.
Clevland.com points out two lies in the recent Acton ad:
1. “Using AI to lie about my family”
The Ohio Republican Party posted an AI-altered image of Acton’s car that changed its license plate to read “Drunk Mom.”
The edit was in reference to a 2019 incident that involved Acton and her husband getting into an argument, prompting her daughter to call 911. The daughter told police that her mother had been drinking, but no charges were filed.
2. “Fact-checkers call the ads false, vile and repulsive”
Acton’s also claims that fact-checkers have deemed Ramaswamy’s ads “false, vile and repulsive,” even though her quoted source isn’t what she says.
The ad cites an opinion piece by Brent Larkin for cleveland.com in which he criticized the attacks against Acton. That is not the same as a fact check.
The Gateway Pundit has previously reported on Acton’s questionable past involving possible alcohol abuse, her apparent intoxication on the campaign trail, and viral attempted hoax when her campaign tried to manufacture a story about an “armed attack” at a campaign event.
“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” Acton campaign communications director Addie Bullock claimed last month before the narrative collapsed.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/whoa-ohio-gubernatorial-candidate-amy-actons-mother-appears/