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Bipartisan backlash over ad shifts Ohio race toward Democrats

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 02:10 UTC · How we work

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Summary

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy aired a TV ad with Amy Acton’s mother accusing her of lying.
The ad drew bipartisan condemnation, prompting the Plain Dealer to endorse Acton.
Acton said her mother stayed with a man who abused her at age 12.
Ramaswamy’s spokesperson Connie Luck called Acton a serial fabulist.
The Cook Political Report reclassified the Ohio governor’s race from toss-up to lean Democrat.

History

The 1964 “Daisy” ad—produced by Doyle Dane Bernbach and Tony Schwartz and aired once on September 7, 1964—shifted U.S. campaign ads from positive to fear-based, costing $3 million for radio and $1.7 million for TV and reaching an estimated 100 million viewers. Its impact showed how attack spots could sway elections, a tactic echoed in Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2024 Ohio TV ad against health director Amy Acton.

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Historical Context

The 1964 “Daisy” ad—produced by Doyle Dane Bernbach and Tony Schwartz and aired once on September 7, 1964—shifted U.S. campaign ads from positive to fear-based, costing $3 million for radio and $1.7 million for TV and reaching an estimated 100 million viewers. Its impact showed how attack spots could sway elections, a tactic echoed in Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2024 Ohio TV ad against health director Amy Acton.

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