Vivek Ramaswamy's Desperate Attack Ad Blows Up in His Face, Ohio Voters Flee to Acton

Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad, aimed at undermining Democratic candidate Amy Acton, has backfired, pushing voters away from him and toward Acton instead. A recent poll reveals that the ad, released on October 22, triggered a significant voter shift.

The Suffolk University-USA TODAY Ohio survey indicates that 72 percent of respondents were aware of the ad shortly after its release. However, the ad's impact was minimal for Ramaswamy; only one voter switched allegiance from Acton to him, while seven voters moved from Ramaswamy to Acton.

Acton's estranged relationship with her mother, who criticized her in the ad, has been strained since 1978. This family drama did not resonate well with voters. Brenda Malcolm, an independent voter from Columbus’ Northland neighborhood, expressed her frustration: “It just totally ticked me off. To go contact a mother that hasn’t seen her daughter in 50 years and get this statement from her. The mother doesn’t know anything about Amy.”

The poll surveyed 500 likely Ohio voters between October 21 and 26, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Acton currently leads Ramaswamy by 48 percent to 44 percent, while Libertarian candidate Don Kissick holds 3.6 percent. The four-point gap keeps the race statistically too close to call.

Despite backlash from prominent Republicans like Governor Mike DeWine and former Governor John Kasich urging him to pull the ad, Ramaswamy has committed over $4 million to keep it running until Election Day.

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, characterized Ramaswamy's move as a desperate “Hail Mary strategy.” He stated, “You only do an ad like that if you’re trailing by a large margin.”

Paleologos added, “You have to take a gamble, and sometimes the gamble pays off, and you score, and sometimes the pass gets intercepted or blocked.”

As the situation unfolds, both campaigns have been contacted for comments regarding this unexpected turn of events.

This is a developing story.