Topic of the Week: Vivek Ramaswamy’s Campaign Releases Ad Featuring Amy Acton’s Mother

In the Ohio gubernatorial race, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has aired a campaign ad featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, his Democratic opponent. In the ad, Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, encourages people not to vote for her daughter, saying she has lied her entire life. Acton has been estranged from her mother since she was 12, when Arthur lost custody of her children after allegations of abuse by her husband. Our analysts rated media coverage about the controversial ad in our Topic of the Week. On Thursday, Ramaswamy’s campaign announced that the ad had been discontinued.

An article by CNBC features President Trump’s reaction to the ad, which received widespread bipartisan backlash. Trump supports the ad and says the mother’s comments should preclude Acton from serving in office. The article gives background information about Acton, whose stepfather was charged with raping her when she was a child. It also includes reaction from several officials and Acton’s brother. Analysts rated the article as “simple fact reporting” with a “middle” bias.

Forbes gives the details about Acton’s childhood abuse and calls Ramaswamy’s campaign ad an example of “outrage marketing” intended to spark rage. It gives examples of businesses who have gotten attention using this marketing ploy and says Ramaswamy using “such rage-provoking tactics almost guaranteed the ad would reach substantially more voters than a traditional TV spot.” The article includes comments from those who both criticize and support the ad. Analysts found the reporting to be a “mix of fact reporting and analysis” with a “middle” bias.

Politico’s opinion article by Jonathan Martin, senior political columnist, begins with this headline: “Vivek Ramaswamy’s Trump Act Could Be His Undoing.” Martin writes that Ramaswamy’s imitation of Trump is an early test of how much voters will tolerate: “The spot isn’t just bad taste, it’s bad politics.” Calling Ramaswamy “loathsome” and the ad “an act of self-sabotage,” Martin says, “Voters want something better, and they’re about to make that clear, in Ohio and beyond, next month.” The article says the Republican party has changed under Trump, but only he can pull off a “low-down stunt” like this. Martin concludes that “voters will only tolerate so much — particularly when they’re suffering,” and the Republican party will find that out soon. Analysts noted the number of criticisms of Trump, Ramaswamy and the Republican party, rating the article as “opinion” with a “skews left” bias.

In a clip from the Megyn Kelly YouTube channel, Kelly airs video of both Acton and her brother responding to Ramaswamy’s ad, as well as Ramaswamy defending the ad. She gives extensive background about Acton’s childhood and the allegations of abuse. Kelly says it’s “very odd” that Acton’s stepfather left the state after he was charged with rape, and that “seems to have been the end of the criminal matter.” Kelly asks why Acton “always sounds drunk” when she speaks, and analysts noted that she seems skeptical of Acton’s allegations of abuse. Instead, she focuses on Donna Arthur’s version of events, omitting evidence that supports Acton’s claims. The video was rated as “selective or incomplete” with a “strong right” bias.

An article published on the Fox News website focuses on comments from political strategist Mehek Cooke, who says Ramaswamy’s ad is distracting from Acton’s record, which should be “under the microscope.” Cooke criticizes Acton for her actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she served as director of the Ohio Department of Health. Acton closed schools, restricted businesses and imposed a stay-at-home order before leaving the position after facing criticism. “I don’t ever want to hire somebody who quits on the state during a pandemic. I can’t imagine if she had another meltdown, whether it was managing our state budget or anything else,” Cooke says. “So people don’t trust Amy.” The article says that during the pandemic staff members reported Acton sometimes missed pandemic strategy meetings and was “emotionally volatile while leading the state’s response.” Cooke criticizes Acton for refusing to debate Ramaswamy, calling it a “Joe Biden strategy of hide in the basement, play the victim card, and it’s not going to work.” Analysts found that the article and the included videos platform the Republican stance supporting Ramaswamy and opposing Acton. They also intentionally misconstrue a quote about the KKK from Acton. Analysts rated the article as “unfair persuasion” with a “hyper-partisan right” bias.

Finally, in a video from the Really American YouTube channel, host Steve Harness says Ramaswamy’s ad has left him “completely outraged.” He plays a video of Acton speaking, a CNN clip with former Trump campaign adviser David Urban criticizing the ad, and a clip from MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.” He also plays videos of Vice President J.D. Vance, whom he calls a “huge piece of shit,” defending the ad and “admonishing Republicans for speaking out against it.” Harness agrees with Nick Fuentes (whom he calls “a Nazis-sympathizing, racist, misogynistic little turd”) when he calls Ramaswamy a “sick, disgusting human being” for running the ad. Harness and his podcast co-host Nick Reynolds criticize political activist Laura Loomer, who defended the ad, and Acton’s mother for “taking this opportunity two weeks out from the election to try to sabotage her daughter and paint her as a liar just to try to make herself feel better about bringing a predator into her kids’ lives.” Harness calls on Ohio voters to do “the right thing” and show Ramaswamy that “even a red state wants nothing to do with your toxic brand of campaigning.” Analysts noted the profanity and insults in the video and called the host “extremely hostile.” Harness incorrectly says that Acton’s stepfather was convicted, when he was only charged with raping her (the case was never concluded). The video was rated as “unfair persuasion” with a “hyper-partisan left” bias.

Follow along with our weekly Topic of the Week exercise by visiting our website. New Topics of the Week are posted each Monday. Read the articles and watch the videos yourself, then come back on Wednesday to compare your scores with our analysts. Learn more here.

Beth Heldebrandt is Director of Communications at Ad Fontes Media. She has more than 35 years of experience in the fields of journalism and public relations, and was an adjunct instructor of journalism for 17 years at Eastern Illinois University. Beth has a B.A. in journalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and an M.A. in English from Eastern Illinois University. She’s a mom and grandma, and enjoys traveling, puzzles and reading.