‘Can’t trust Amy Acton’: Viral ad distracts from what’s really at stake in critical race, GOP strategist says

A television spot from Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for Ohio governor, has drawn criticism across party lines, but Ohio attorney and political strategist Mehek Cooke argues the contest should turn on the record of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. Cooke told Fox News Digital that voters need to decide who they trust to run the state, and that Acton has given them reason for doubt.

The ad features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who accuses her daughter of misrepresenting her childhood and questions her suitability for the office. Acton has said child welfare authorities removed her and her brother from their mother's home after allegations that their stepfather abused her. Ramaswamy has stood by the spot and is paying millions of dollars to keep it on the air for the next couple of weeks. President Donald Trump publicly backed him as the dispute spread online.

Cooke pointed instead to Acton's tenure as state health director under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine at the start of the pandemic. Orders she signed included a stay-at-home mandate, limits on nursing-home visitors, and shutdowns of gyms, senior centers and adult daycares. She left the job amid backlash over the lockdowns' effects.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →