THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Vice President JD Vance says he’s “disgusted” by Republicans criticizing Vivek Ramaswamy’s $4 million attack ad featuring Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother.
- Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy a “bad guy,” while other prominent Republicans condemned the ad over its connection to Acton’s childhood abuse allegations.
- Vance told Republican critics to “stop whining about an advertisement” and concentrate on winning Ohio’s elections.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Vice President JD Vance has a message for Republicans clutching their pearls over Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial Ohio campaign advertisement.
Stop whining. Start winning.
And if that includes Nikki Haley, who just called her former presidential-primary rival a “bad guy,” well, the vice president doesn’t appear particularly interested in organizing a Republican group therapy session.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday while campaigning in Ohio, Vance was asked whether Ramaswamy’s decision to feature Democratic gubernatorial opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother in a blistering political advertisement was appropriate.
His response was considerably less delicate than the question.
“I’ll be honest with you, whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” Vance said.
That probably wasn’t the answer the BBC reporter had anticipated.
Vance explained that his priority was electing Republicans, including Ramaswamy for governor and Jon Husted for the U.S. Senate.
Then he turned his attention to members of his own party.
“If you think it was too tough, say it was too tough. If you think it wasn’t tough enough, say that,” Vance said.
But he wasn’t finished.
“I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America.”
There goes the bipartisan outrage coalition. The vice president has apparently decided Republicans have more important things to do than spend the final two weeks of the campaign evaluating the manners of political consultants.
The advertisement at the center of the controversy features Donna Arthur, Acton’s estranged mother, accusing her daughter of dishonesty and disputing her account of a troubled childhood.
But the family history behind the commercial has turned the Ohio governor’s race into a deeply personal confrontation.
Acton has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather as a child and that her mother failed to protect her. Court records show the stepfather was charged with rape, fled Ohio and died without standing trial.
Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, has released a response video defending his sister and criticizing Ramaswamy for bringing their childhood experiences into the election.
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy’s campaign has acknowledged producing the advertisement and committed $4 million to airing it statewide.
That’s quite a commitment for a commercial that has already managed to produce a rare moment of agreement among political opponents.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley joined the criticism Wednesday, reviving her longstanding feud with Ramaswamy.
“Not laughing. Just seeing what we tried to tell everyone back then,” Haley wrote on X.
“He’s a bad guy. It’s a shame he continues to get away with it.”
Haley and Ramaswamy famously battled during the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, including the debate in which Haley called him “scum” after he invoked her daughter during an argument.
Apparently, time has not healed those particular political wounds.
Former Trump White House communications director Mike Dubke has also criticized the advertisement, while several conservative commentators questioned whether the campaign had crossed a line.
Vance, however, wants Republican officials to remember what happens on the other side of the political aisle.
He argued that negative advertisements have targeted both him and President Trump, sometimes involving family members.
And he suggested Republicans should spend less time criticizing one another’s campaign tactics and more time challenging Democrats on policy.
“Do you actually think that Amy Acton is unfit to serve as governor of the state of Ohio? I do,” Vance told reporters.
He also attacked Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, arguing that Republicans should be concentrating on electing Husted instead.
Then came the line that effectively ended the discussion.
“Politics is a tough business,” Vance declared.
“My message to my fellow elected Republicans is, if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days.”
“Next question.”
And just like that, the vice president moved on.
The exchange adds another dimension to a controversy already dividing prominent Republicans.
Haley believes Ramaswamy’s advertisement reflects poorly on his character. Other critics have questioned the decision to use an estranged mother whose relationship with her daughter is inseparable from documented allegations of childhood abuse.
Ramaswamy’s campaign argues that Acton’s credibility is a legitimate campaign issue and that voters should hear the accusations being made about her.
Vance has now made his position clear: Whatever Republicans think about the ad, he doesn’t want the disagreement consuming the final days of the election.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Mediaite — Vance says he’s disgusted by Republican criticism of Ramaswamy’s attack ad
- WLWT Cincinnati — Vance responds to controversy at Ohio campaign appearance
- Axios — Ramaswamy campaign commits $4 million to controversial advertisement
- Mediaite — Nikki Haley calls Ramaswamy a “bad guy”
- Washington Post — Background on the advertisement and Acton’s family history
