Vivek Ramaswamy's explosive attempt to discredit his Democrat rival Amy Acton's childhood abuse claims has taken a dramatic turn after a long-lost family member spoke out to back her account.
uncertain
member → discredit → account
Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, 82, accused her daughter of being a lifelong 'liar' in a controversial ad funded by Ramaswamy's campaign in his bid for Ohio governor.
asserted
mother → estrange → governor
And at a campaign stop Monday in Thornville, Ohio, the Republican gubernatorial candidate doubled down, telling supporters he was 'running against someone who is crazy, who is unstable, and who is a liar.'
asserted
who → double → someone
But the Daily Mail can reveal that Acton's long-lost stepsister has come forward saying she believes Acton's account of her turbulent childhood, saying the candidate's claims about sexual abuse by her stepfather and the family living in a tent are true.
uncertain
claims → reveal → tent
The 62-year-old Youngstown, Ohio, family member, who asked that her name be withheld, is the biological daughter of Cledith 'Bud' Arthur, who married Acton's mother, Donna, in 1975.
asserted
who → ask → 1975
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail from the porch of her modest home in this old steel town and sometimes breaking down in sobs, the woman said that, prior to marrying Donna, Cledith Arthur raped her late sister, Christine, when she was about the same age as Amy.
asserted
she → speak → Amy
'Yes, he raped her, and it was more than once,' the woman said.
asserted
woman → rap → her
Theresa died in July 2025 at age 87.
asserted
Theresa → die → age
Ohio's Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has attracted bipartisan criticism for running an ad that features rival Amy Acton's mother challenging her abuse claims
The controversy touches on deeply personal experiences Acton (above) has spoken about publicly, including allegations of being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather
Christine died in December 2024, aged 66, but the painful memories of what happened to her have suddenly returned to her sister, splashed across television screens and thrust into one of America's most contentious gubernatorial campaigns.
uncertain
what → attract → campaigns
'It was a terrible time for our family and it's very hard to talk about it,' Christine's sister told the Daily Mail.
asserted
sister → talk → Mail
'My brother won't say anything at all.
asserted
brother → say → anything
It's a nightmare for us to relive what happened in our family after all these years.'
asserted
what → relive → years
'Christine was a wonderful person but she was very damaged by it.
asserted
she → damage → it
It affected her.
asserted
It → affect → her
Seeing it played out in this campaign and on TV has brought a lot of terrible memories back.'
In the ad, produced by Republican candidate Ramaswamy's campaign, Arthur calls her daughter a liar and disputes Acton's account of a childhood marked by poverty, homelessness and sexual abuse.
asserted
Arthur → see → poverty
'Oh, I know they were homeless for a while and living in a tent,' Christine's sister said, gesturing toward the north side of Youngstown where, she claimed, Cledith lived for a time in a tent with his second family.
asserted
Cledith → know → family
Cledith Arthur was charged with incest in 1974 over allegations involving Christine, according to contemporary newspaper accounts.
Four years later, he was charged with raping his stepdaughter, Acton, then 12 but fled Ohio for Pennsylvania after he was indicted in 1978 and was apparently never located by police after that.
uncertain
he → charge → that
He died in 2004.
asserted
He → die → 2004
He pleaded not guilty but fled Ohio and never stood trial, according to court records.
uncertain
He → plead → records
Acton's stepsister, Christine Arthur (pictured), who died in December 2024 at 66, was allegedly abused by her father, Cledith Arthur - who is accused of similarly abusing stepdaughter Amy Acton (Source: Borowski Funeral Services)
Newspaper clippings from Ohio's Youngstown Vindicator show Cledith Arthur being charged with rape in 1978
Another clipping lists Arthur as being charged with incest in 1974.
uncertain
clipping → picture → 1974
He died in 2004
Christine's sister said she largely avoided her father after he married Donna Arthur, who remained his wife until his death.
asserted
who → die → death
'I hardly saw my father after he married Donna.
asserted
he → see → Donna
I didn't want to see him,' the woman said.
asserted
woman → want → him
'After knowing what he did to my sister, I have no doubt he also assaulted Amy.'
asserted
he → know → Amy
She recalled hearing allegations that her father had molested another young girl who lived nearby, although she could not confirm the account.
uncertain
she → recall → account
'I just recall specifically hearing that [my father] liked young girls.'
asserted
father → recall → girls
She added: 'I think the ad was awful to put up there.'
asserted
ad → add → ?
The controversial ad debuted around October 20, in the final days of the tightly-contested November 3 election as Ramaswamy seeks to defeat Acton, a physician and former Ohio health director.
asserted
Ramaswamy → debut → Acton
The minute-long video features Donna Arthur, now 82, telling Ohio voters that her daughter cannot be trusted.
asserted
daughter → feature → voters
(Arthur previously gave a lengthy interview to the pro-life organization Operation Rescue in 2020, in which she said that Acton's claim that she moved 18 times in the first 12 years of her life was not true and that Amy lied.
uncertain
Amy → give → life
She also indicated that Amy's allegation that Cledith raped her, as well as Christine Arthur's similar claim, were 'unfounded.')
'It's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem,' Arthur says in the video.
uncertain
Arthur → indicate → video
Acton's estrangement from her mother stemmed from the actions of Acton's stepfather, Cledith Arthur, who was charged with child molestation and reportedly abused Acton as well as another minor under the age of 13
Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, appears in a campaign ad urging Ohioans not to vote for her daughter.
uncertain
mother → stem → daughter
It's produced by Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign
'
asserted
It → produce → campaign
She lies about her past.
asserted
She → lie → past
She says she grew up living in a tent.
asserted
she → say → tent
She's lied her entire life.
asserted
She → lie → ?
Arthur urges voters not to elect her daughter, whom she has not seen since 1978.
asserted
she → urge → 1978
While he was not mentioned in the ad, Ramaswamy acknowledged that his campaign produced it and committed $4 million to promoting it, despite criticism from members of his own party.
asserted
campaign → mention → party
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, defended the Republican candidate's decision to continue running the commercial.
asserted
Trump → defend → commercial
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, also condemned the advertisement, saying their mother, Arthur, had remained married to the man accused of abusing Acton even after the children were removed from the household.
'I received a lot of abuse, but Amy always got the worst of it,' Stearns said in a response video released by Acton's campaign.
asserted
Stearns → condemn → campaign
…and 43 more, not listed.
The Aporia
