# ‘Can’t trust Amy Acton’: Viral ad distracts from what’s really at stake in critical race, GOP strategist says

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/cant-trust-amy-acton-viral-ad-distracts-from-whats-really-at-stake-in-critical-race-gop-strategist-says/
- Published: 2026-10-23T18:30:59+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T19:24:57+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cant-trust-amy-acton-viral-ad-distracts-whats-really-stake-critical-race-gop-strategist-says
- Topics: Art, Culture, Trending, Weird & Viral, World

## Key points

- Ramaswamy’s ad about Acton’s family history triggered bipartisan criticism.
- A strategist argues Acton’s pandemic record matters more to voters.
- Courts criticised state actions, but did not attribute every decision to Acton personally.

## Summary

An Ohio political strategist says the governor’s race should focus on former health director Amy Acton’s record, rather than a viral ad by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy featuring Acton’s estranged mother. The ad drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans after Acton said she and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody following an allegation that her stepfather sexually abused her. Ramaswamy defended the ad and committed millions of dollars to run it.

Acton’s record as Ohio’s health director during the early COVID-19 pandemic is a central point of criticism. Her department issued restrictions including school and business closures and a nursing-home visitor ban; a court later found the department violated public-records law by withholding facility-level death data, without finding that Acton personally ordered this. A separate court described state actions in a gym closure dispute as “arbitrary, unreasonable, and oppressive”, while former government workers have also criticised Acton’s conduct in strategy meetings.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.