Vance downplays attack tactics in Ohio governor race

Vice President J.D. Vance told Republicans to focus on which candidate would be a better choice to be Ohio’s governor. His comments came after each candidate’s campaign went on the attack, trying to create an October surprise and sway voters before the Nov. 3 election. GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy aired an ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, who told people not to vote for her daughter. Acton’s campaign meanwhile pointed out different addresses Ramaswamy had used on paperwork for the New York Bar Association and his voter registration, claiming that there was a discrepancy somewhere.

In a press conference, Vance said it is not his concern whether Ramaswamy’s ad was appropriate. Rather, he was concerned with who would be elected. Republicans ought to be more concerned with harmful Democratic policies, the vice president said. Acton is not fit to be governor, which is the real issue, he added. Vance pointed to harsh campaigns against himself and President Trump in the past, concluding that politics is a tough business.

Has Acton responded to her mother’s statements? In an interview on Tuesday with All Sides with Amy Juravich, Acton confirmed that the woman in the video is her mother. Donna Arthur called her daughter a liar in the advertisement, but Acton said it was her mother who was lying. Acton said she was removed from her mother when she was 12 because of child abuse and neglect. She added that Ramaswamy took advantage of her mother.

Dig Deeper: For more about the governor’s race and the ad controversy, read Elizabeth Black’s earlier story.