Has Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack ad against Amy Acton backfired?

An advertisement by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy features Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her childhood and suggesting she has a mental illness. The ad disputes Acton’s account of experiencing homelessness and living in a tent as a child, but does not disclose that mother and daughter have been estranged since 1978. Court records and contemporaneous news reports support key parts of Acton’s account, while FactCheck.org found records linking her stepfather to the campground where the family reportedly lived. Ramaswamy has refused to pull the ad despite criticism and calls from senior Republicans for its removal, less than two weeks before the November 3 elections.