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Former President Barack Obama criticized Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Oct. 24 over a campaign advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton.
Obama addressed the ad at a Cleveland rally for Acton and Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, calling Ramaswamy’s approach indecent, The Washington Examiner reported.
The advertisement features Donna Arthur questioning her daughter’s honesty about her childhood. Acton has said she has not seen her mother since she was 12, following allegations that her stepfather sexually abused her.
Ramaswamy has defended the advertisement as a challenge to Acton’s honesty rather than an attack on her experience of abuse. Speaking to reporters on Oct. 23, he accused her of lying about him, her record and her history, ABC News reported.
Acton told ABC News after Saturday’s rally that she hoped President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who have defended the advertisement, would examine the facts of her childhood.
Her stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her, pleaded not guilty and fled before trial. He died in 2004 without the case going to trial, ABC News reported.
The controversy has divided Republicans. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has endorsed Ramaswamy, urged his campaign to withdraw the advertisement but has maintained his endorsement.
Trump has encouraged Ramaswamy to keep running it. Vance has criticized Republicans who objected to the campaign’s approach.
Brown is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Early voting was under way when Obama visited Cleveland, ahead of the Nov. 3 elections.