Character, or why Mr. Ramaswamy’s ad didn’t just attack Dr. Acton 

If any of us hoped that decency might return to politics in Ohio, the recent release of an attack ad from Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, featuring the estranged birth mother of Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton, likely convinced us that decency has left the building with no intention of returning. 

That decency is absent from many of the 2026 midterm races is less a surprise than the confirmation of its total abdication. Yet when decency, morality, and even simple human respect are missing from our discourse, our character can endure.

We should have the character to see that the foul ad produced and run by Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign didn’t just attack Dr. Acton and her campaign for governor. It didn’t just dredge horrible memories and dynamics of her childhood and the betrayal of people who should have stood up for an abused and assaulted child instead of her abuser. And it’s not just about intimate details of her story being plastered across the airwaves. 

In this moment, it’s about all of us and the people we strive to be.

Mr. Ramaswamy’s ad didn’t just attack Dr. Acton; it attacked all survivors of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse and abuse generally. Every survivor, including me, was retraumatized and flooded with memories of when someone doubted the truth of what happened to us. 

Each time the ad airs on television and other media, we hear the refrain of denials and defense of perpetrators rather than victims.

Mr. Ramaswamy’s ad didn’t just attack Dr. Acton; it attacked all women, cis and trans, who remain the largest demographic of sexual assault survivors and the targets of sexual violence in all its forms. Though the ad intended to make an argument about Dr. Acton, it instead bore witness against anyone who has or will be subjected to sexual violence because of their gender identity or gender expression.

Mr. Ramaswamy’s ad didn’t just attack Dr. Acton; it attacked the LGBTQIA+ community. Dr. Acton hasn’t identified as a member of our community, and during her campaign, she has often struggled to demonstrate her allyship with us. Yet, the ad made clear that any vulnerable community that doesn’t fit the prevailing norm should be questioned. The veracity of queer people’s truth, the ad would have us believe, is a matter for debate.

And Mr. Ramaswamy’s ad didn’t just attack Dr. Acton; it attacked all Ohioans who strive to live lives of character and respect. Ohio used to command respect from a nation that recognized its strategic position and moral place in the constellation of American states. Now, however, national and international news and commentators consider what kind of people and what type of political machines could produce such a heinous mockery of American democracy as Ohio’s most recent contribution to what was once called “civil discourse.” 

Character, our own and that of our neighbors, used to mean something for Ohioans. Regardless of who you support on November 3, consider how your vote reflects your character and your place in the state in which we live and share our common life. 🔥

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