Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign has stopped airing a television ad in the Ohio governor's race that featured the mother of his Democratic opponent Amy Acton, ending the ad's run on television.1,2,3,4
The ad used Acton's mother, described as estranged from her daughter, to speak about Acton, and the campaign previously put millions behind the ad even after backlash from members of both parties.2,3,4
The campaign is no longer airing the spot after it ran its course on the air. The account reporting this was dated Oct. 29 at 7:20 p.m. ET, and it was not clear from the available information whether the end had been scheduled in advance.4
Different descriptions of the ending used slightly different terms. One headline said Ramaswamy discontinued the ad, another said he pulled it, and a third said its television run had ended. All versions agreed that the ad was discontinued, pulled or ended.1,2,3,4
The ad featured Acton's mother speaking about her daughter. The available description said she called her daughter something, but the sentence was cut off and the full wording of her remarks was not available. No transcript or detailed description of the images or narration in the spot was provided.4
The campaign had put millions of dollars behind the ad. The exact amount spent, the stations or markets where it ran, and the length of time it was on the air were not specified. It was also not stated whether the spending figure included production as well as broadcast time.4
The campaign previously put millions behind the ad even after backlash from members of both parties. The identities of those who objected, the form their objections took, and what, if any, effect they had on the campaign's decision were not detailed in the material available.4
Ramaswamy is identified as the Republican nominee for governor of Ohio and Acton as his Democratic opponent. No additional biographical information about either candidate, about Acton's mother, or about the nature of the estrangement described in two headlines was provided.4,2,3
It is not known why the campaign ended the run at this point beyond the account that the ad had run its course. The reports did not include a statement from Ramaswamy explaining the decision, nor did they include a response from Acton or from her mother about the ad ending.4