Republican Party divided over Ramaswamy attack ad

politicsOct 23, 202681483

Vivek Ramaswamy aired an Ohio gubernatorial attack ad that features his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother accusing Acton of lying and referencing a history in which Acton said she last saw her mother at age 12 after her mother lost custody and the man she married was indicted for allegedly sexually abusing Acton. President Donald Trump publicly praised the spot, urged Republicans to keep the ad running and pressured the party to embrace it, and called Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine “disloyal to the Republican Party” after DeWine criticized the ad. Trump told a rally audience he had advised Ramaswamy not to take the ad down and said the mother should be taken “seriously” even while saying he knew “nothing about” the backstory. The ad has drawn sharp moral and political objections from fellow Republicans, with Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson calling for the ad’s removal and other GOP officeholders expressing that it crosses a line by weaponizing alleged child sexual abuse. Critics warned the tactic risks damaging the party’s brand days before the midterm election and is creating intra-party friction that extends beyond Ohio. The dispute has forced national Republicans to weigh loyalty to Trump against broader electoral and ethical concerns in the final stretch of the campaign.

Schooley

@schooley.bsky.social

Trump trying to other Abdul El-Sayed on the extremely solid "funny name" basis but Vivek Ramaswamy is okay on the defending child abusers basis.

2053h ago

Dustin DeWind2

Reince Priebus, anyone? Elon Musk, perhaps? May I offer Kashyap Pramod Patel? Or how about the hooker Melania Knauss?

Dream1

Making personal attacks based on someone’s name while turning a blind eye to the behavior that truly deserves condemnation? That’s a blatant double standard!

100% Anti-Trump, Which is Probably Illegal1

Regret to inform Dear Leader but Ohio GOP voters aren’t “ok” with Vivek and that’s what will likely cost them the governor’s mansion, not the loathsomeness.

Karmageddon1

And it's so funny how he mocks and pretends to scramble the name "Muhammad" and you wonder how his buddy MBS feels about that.

Michael Tomasky

@mjtoma.bsky.social

New Column: Don't be fooled--the outrage at the ad hasn't been THAT bipartisan. And with Trump 1000% behind it, I think we know what Ramaswamy is gonna do. newrepublic.com/post/217049/... via @newrepublic.com

673h ago

Heidi Finan2

Every last one of these monsters have been showing us how much they hate women for a very, very long time. This is just another data point. This is what “mommy issues” looks like in society.

philipfrankenfeld.bsky.social1

Negativism and lies always work. Especially as "October surprises".

The Rude Pundit

@rudepundit.bsky.social

I appreciate that Ramaswamy has said it's running that pathetic ad with Acton's estranged mother. Usually, such fuckery is done by some PAC to give a candidate plausible deniability and distance. But not Vivek. He's proudly saying, "I am that sleazy fucker."

583h ago

Clara Jeffery

@clarajeffery.bsky.social

Such a smart piece by @michellegoldberg.bsky.social about what the internal GOP fight over the Ramaswamy ad really means: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/o...

372h ago

Daniel Drezner

@dandrezner.bsky.social

"By tacitly siding with a man indicted on charges of child rape, Ramaswamy has shown us all who he is. But he’s also given conservatives space to reckon with the ethical degradation of Trumpism, though without quite admitting that that’s what they’re doing." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/o...

252h ago

Mike Boylan-Kolchin

@mbkplus.bsky.social

"If Ramaswamy loses a state as red as Ohio despite Trump’s imprimatur, Vance might start to look like a bad bet in 2028." Good piece on from @michellegoldberg.bsky.social on the depravity of Ramaswamy, Vance, and Trump, and what it might mean going forward.

113h ago

(Lizzie)🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈

@pip-kin.bsky.social

If ever there was proof of the present Republican Party. Vivek Ramaswamy's vile campaign ad is all one needs to see. What an abominable presentation of classless inhumanity. 🤬🤮🤬 But at least it's blatantly out now. MAGA = Make Assaulting Girls Acceptable brought by : Guardians Of Pedophiles

74h ago

Grumpy Zeus

@grumpyzeus.bsky.social

And proof that every Republican has zero loyalty to the Constitution. America will not survive unless the Republican Party is effectively destoyed by voters.

74h ago

VoteGirl

@votegirl.bsky.social

Michiganders, the corrupt Republican running against Sarah Pounds, Roman Gaskey, is your Vivek Ramaswamy. Would you let this treatment happen to your daughters? Do the right thing, VOTE FOR SARAH POUND!

42h ago

Bob Geiger

@bobgeiger.bsky.social

When I see this repulsive Vivek Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's mother, I hope people who stay loyal to MAGA relatives because "they're still family" take note: They will turn on you in a heartbeat if it furthers the MAGA cult. Deep down, you're not "still family" to them.

63h ago

David DeWitt

@daviddewitt.bsky.social

Ohio Republican Party bus tour begins today w/Vivek Ramaswam and the GOP ticket joining him amid a now-notorious week in Ohio politics. Husted and the statewide candidates for Treasurer, Auditor, Attorney General, Sec. of State, Ohio Supreme Court are all listed as participating.

24h ago

Abolish ICE! aftiej 🗽

@aftiej.bsky.social

Vivek Ramaswamy is a fucking lunatic. His ad with Acton’s estranged abusive mother is the most disgusting political ad I have ever seen. The last decade in politics has made clear that the major divide in this country is people who know pedophilia is wrong vs people who really like it.

42h ago

Action Together New Jersey

@atnj.org

No, you horrible human, she's not "game." Trump doubles down on support of Ramaswamy attack ad: 'She's fair game'

23h ago

Benjamin McKean

@blmckean.bsky.social

“…among Ramaswamy’s fellow South Asians, a demographic that has drifted a touch rightward in recent cycles, there is also widespread doubt…for many of his would-be constituents, the question is what those connections mean when the candidate has embraced a movement that sees them as the enemy.”

23h ago

jflem2.bsky.social

@jflem2.bsky.social

Vivek Ramaswamy is challenging the rape of a 12 year old to try to win an election??? WOW! THAT’S A PURELY REPUBLICAN PEDOPHILEDEFENSE!!!

43h ago

3 sources

nytimes.comThe Ad Dividing the Republican Party cnn.comTrump turns the GOP’s Ramaswamy ad headache into a migraine | CNN Politics newrepublic.comVivek Ramaswamy’s Vile Attack Ad Is Trumpism in a Nutshell

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Republican Party divided over Ramaswamy attack ad

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