Vivek Ramaswamy , the Republican candidate in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, on Friday (local time) defended his campaign’s advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Amy Acton, accusing Acton’s team of “lying about an ad that is about lying. ”
Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with raping Acton, then 12, in July 1978, after her biological father reported him to authorities, according to police and court documents obtained by The Associated Press. The alleged abuse took place between December 1976 and April 1978. Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty and was indicted by a grand jury in September 1978. However, he failed to appear at a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981.
He has since died.
Arthur lost custody of her children after her husband, Cledith Arthur, Amy and Philip’s stepfather, was indicted on charges of raping Acton.
The controversial advertisement features Donna Arthur, Acton’s biological mother, accusing the Democratic candidate of “lying” about being sexually abused and urging voters not to elect her governor. The ad also challenges Acton’s account of childhood homelessness and abuse but does not explain the family history underlying their estrangement.