‘We’ve been going through this for 10 years’: Why the ad targeting Amy Acton feels so unsettling

October 30, 2026

Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign advertisement featuring Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother denying documented childhood abuse allegations has sparked widespread backlash in Ohio's gubernatorial race. The controversial ad appears to have backfired politically, with recent polling showing it prompted more voters to shift support toward Acton than away from her, despite Ramaswamy already trailing in pre-ad surveys. For many women activists, including longtime organizers like Cindy Cromwell who protests weekly at a Cincinnati Tesla dealership, the ad represents a calculated assault on women that echoes a broader pattern of political attacks against women that has intensified during the Trump era.

Who is affected

Dr. Amy Acton (Democratic gubernatorial candidate and survivor of documented childhood abuse)
Women voters and activists in Ohio, particularly those who have experienced abuse
Cindy Cromwell and fellow weekly protesters at the Cincinnati Tesla dealership
Survivors of sexual abuse and their care providers who are being "triggered" by the ad
Donna Arthur (Acton's estranged birth mother who appeared in the ad)
Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign (experiencing negative polling consequences)
Ohio voters broadly who have seen the advertisement (72-86% according to polls)

What action is being taken

Cindy Cromwell and a group of approximately 30 women are organizing and attending weekly Saturday protests at a Cincinnati-area Tesla dealership (ongoing since February 2025)
The Ramaswamy campaign is continuing to air the controversial ad, investing more than $4 million into it despite bipartisan outcry
Early voting in Ohio is taking place (started on October 6)
Acton is holding campaign rallies with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown

Why it matters

This race demonstrates how attacks on women, particularly those involving sexual abuse and credibility, continue to be deployed as political weapons despite potential electoral consequences. The incident reflects a broader pattern that many women trace back to Donald Trump's 2016 election following the "Access Hollywood" tape, showing how normalized such tactics have become in American politics. The ad is significant because it targets a documented abuse survivor using her estranged mother as a weapon, raising questions about whether there are any remaining boundaries in political campaigning. Additionally, the backlash and polling data suggest there may finally be electoral consequences for such tactics, though experts caution that economic concerns will likely remain the primary driver of voting decisions.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The 19th