// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
'This is despicable': Amy Acton responds to Ohio attack ad featuring her estranged mother
Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor of the US state of Ohio, has called an attack ad against her that features her estranged mother "despicable".
Acton commented on the campaign ad from her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, on Wednesday evening, saying: "This is despicable, what he's done".
In the ad Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, says Acton "lied her entire life". But it does not mention that Arthur's husband was charged with raping Acton when she was a child and that Acton and her brother were then removed from Arthur's custody.
Since it launched on Monday, the ad has generated political backlash and cast a national spotlight on the race.
Acton and Ramaswamy are both running to replace outgoing Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican who endorsed Ramaswamy, in the 3 November midterm election.
In a sign that Ramaswamy may have hurt his chances at winning, DeWine has reportedly described the ad as deeply troubling and called for it to be taken down.
"I've never attacked his family. I would never do that," Acton said about Ramaswamy at the campaign stop on Wednesday evening.
"You can see that there are so many people who have experienced trauma and abuse in their lives," she continued, referring to the fallout from the ad.
According to information provided to the BBC by Acton's campaign, the last time she saw her mother was in a courtroom in 1978 after her stepfather was indicted.
Arthur's husband fled town before he could stand trial, was never prosecuted, and died in 2004.