Some Republicans have distanced themselves from Vivek Ramaswamy over a stinging advertisement targeting his Democratic opponent in the Ohio governor’s race. Vice President JD Vance was unequivocal in his condemnation of fellow Republicans who criticized Ramaswamy for the ad, which features Amy Acton’s mother calling her a liar and telling Ohioans not to vote for her. Ramaswamy later acknowledged that his campaign ran the advertisement.
“Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race,” Vance said during a speech at the Cincinnati FBI field office in Sycamore Township on Wednesday.
Acton’s campaign described the ad as “repulsive” and characterized her mother as “abusive,” labeling Ramaswamy a “scam artist.” Acton has made her rise from an allegedly dysfunctional and abusive childhood a signature part of her campaign.
While some Republicans have criticized Ramaswamy for the ad, Vance shifted focus to the critics, stating that whether the ad was appropriate or not was not his concern. “Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” he said. “What is my concern is who is going to govern the next generation of American government; who is going to win the Senate race in the state of Ohio; who is going to win the governor’s race in the state of Ohio.”
“And I gotta be honest that when I see Republicans, people in my party, reacting so strongly—especially elected officials—look, have the opinion you want to have on that ad. If you think it was too tough, say it was too tough. If you think it wasn’t tough enough, say that,” he added.
“But I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said. He also noted Democrats have attacked Republicans viciously, using ads featuring family members without compunction. “People have called Vivek Ramaswamy a murderer in some of the advertisements ran against him,” he stated.
“How many times have we seen advertisements using his family members, estranged family members, to go after the president of the United States?”
“Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days,” he concluded. Vance went on to campaign with Ramaswamy in Cincinnati.
