Ramaswamy attack ad is so reviled that even CNN’s Scott Jennings blasted it

Jennings challenges Vance’s defense

On CNN’s NewsNight, conservative commentator Scott Jennings said Vice President JD Vance could have stayed out of the controversy. Vance had defended Ramaswamy on Wednesday, calling Republican criticism “whining” and saying he was “disgusted” by the response. Jennings argued the criticism was not merely about political tactics. He said Ohio Republicans had warned the ad might backfire, adding that it could “blow up in their face.”

Ohio Republicans object publicly

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine described the advertisement as “deeply, deeply troubling” and said he hoped Ramaswamy would remove it. He did not withdraw his endorsement of the candidate.

Other Republicans also voiced opposition. Ohio state senator Matt Mihalik said childhood trauma should not be used for political gain, while Senator Jon Husted said he would not have run the ad in his own campaign against Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Family history behind the ad

The spot features Donna Arthur calling Acton “a liar,” but does not explain their family history. Arthur lost custody of her children after her husband, Cledith Arthur, faced a rape indictment involving Acton; he was never prosecuted for that charge, and the couple left Ohio.

Acton said in a 2019 interview that she was sexually abused from ages nine to 12. The account describes the man as her stepfather, while earlier identifying him as her mother’s husband; it says he pleaded not guilty after being charged in 1978. Arthur denied that he abused Acton, but later said she supported him during the proceedings and left town with him after the indictment.

Criticism grows within party

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who competed against Ramaswamy in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, called him “a bad guy” and said he continued to get away with it. She was among the Republican figures speaking out after Ramaswamy and Vance stood by the ad.

Some Republican strategists criticized the decision privately. One told TIME, “We’ve lost the plot,” saying the campaign had been in a strong position before running the ad two weeks out.