Vance tells GOP to stop whining about Vivek Ramaswamys controversial ad featuring rivals estranged mother
WASHINGTON — President Trump and Vice President Vance on Wednesday stood by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who launched a controversial ad featuring his Democratic opponent’s estranged mother.Ramaswamy had been under fire from fellow Republicans for the ad, which features Amy Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a “liar” and urging Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton said her mother’s husband sexually abused her as a child while Arthur stood by her alleged rapist.Rep.Nancy Mace (R-SC) blasted Ramaswamy for the “disgusting” ad against Acton, who she pointed out was allegedly “raped by her stepfather.”“The bar is low and somehow Vivek Ramaswamy managed to limbo under the lowest bar of decency in this country,” Mace told CNN.Vance, whose home state is Ohio, defended Ramaswamy while campaigning there on Wednesday.
“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,” Vance told reporters at an event in Cincinnati ahead of a campaign appearance for Ramaswamy.Ramaswamy’s ad exploded across the political landscape this week, garnering attention on a national level.Acton released a statement from her brother criticizing Ramaswamy’s ad. Even some Republicans were critical. Sen.
Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who is running for a full term in the Senate after he was appointed to Vance’s former seat, said he “would not have run that ad.”Trump, however, said: “I hear the mother went very rogue on the daughter.”“Doesn’t have a lot of respect for the daughter, and I think the mother is a witness to things also.So who knows? And you have to figure that out.
It’s a very unusual situation to have a mother hate her daughter that much,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn as he prepared to travel to South Carolina for a campaign rally.Trump is scheduled...