俄亥俄州州长候选人艾米·阿克顿（民主党）指责她的共和党对手维韦克·拉马斯瓦米长期存在人身攻击的行为。此前，一段政治广告在网络上曝光，她在广告中与母亲发生了争执，她的母亲在视频中称她为“骗子”。阿克顿曾公开谈论自己童年时期遭受的虐待经历，她怀疑这段视频是拉马斯瓦米竞选团队制作的，并批评他在选举日前两周利用她的家庭隐私来攻击她。
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton (D) accused Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy of a “lifelong pattern” of personal attacks after a political ad surfaced online in which her estranged mother called her a “liar.”Acton, who has publicly discussed suffering abuse as a child, suggested Ramaswamy’s campaign was behind the video and criticized him for using her family history just two weeks before Election Day.
她对《Spectrum News》表示：“我不会容忍那些认为我的童年经历只是我用来抱怨的工具的人；今天他竟然又发布了一段利用我出生母亲的信息的广告——我的母亲在我12岁时因严重的虐待和忽视被从我身边带走，还遭受了性虐待。这种人身攻击的行为在我对手身上已经存在很久了。”她还提到，2016年总统选举期间，拉马斯瓦米曾在共和党辩论中攻击妮基·黑利的女儿。
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse,” Action told Spectrum News on Tuesday. “This is a lifelong pattern with my opponent,” she added, pointing to similar personal attacks Ramaswamy levied towards Nikki Haley’s daughter during a GOP debate in the 2016 presidential election.
目前尚不清楚这段视频的制作者和出资者是谁；拉马斯瓦米的竞选团队并未否认与此有关，但其发言人康妮·拉克为该广告中针对阿克顿的言论进行了辩护。拉克在声明中说：“我们不清楚艾米和她母亲之间发生了什么（她的母亲直到2020年才首次公开谈论这件事），但我们知道艾米·阿克顿是个惯于撒谎的人，她的言论严重违背事实。”
It remains unclear who produced or paid for the video, which does not identify a sponsor. Ramaswamy’s campaign has not confirmed any involvement, but spokesperson Connie Luck defended the ad’s criticism of Acton. “We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth,” Luck said in a statement.
阿克顿的竞选团队也在周二发布了自己的广告，名为《虐待》，视频中她的哥哥菲尔·斯特恩斯讲述了他们童年时期所遭受的虐待，并指责拉马斯瓦米将这段往事作为竞选工具。菲尔说：“维韦克真可耻！他对艾米、对俄亥俄州都充满了蔑视——他根本不适合领导这个州。”这段时长一分钟的视频于周一在社交媒体上开始传播，视频中阿克顿的母亲唐娜·亚瑟称女儿为“骗子”，并呼吁选民不要投票给她。
Acton’s campaign also responded Tuesday with its own ad, titled “Abuse,” featuring her brother, Phil Stearns, describing the abuse they endured growing up and ripping Ramaswathy for using it as a talking point in the campaign. “Shame on Vivek,” he says. “It’s the contempt he has for Amy. It’s the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.”The minute-long video, which began circulating on social media on Monday, features Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a liar and urging voters to avoid casting their ballots for her.
“我爱我的女儿，但当我看到她在对手的问题上撒谎时——作为一个母亲，说出这话并不容易，但埃米（Amy）有严重的问题。她是个骗子，”她在广告中说。“人是可以改变的，但首先他们必须说实话。而我的女儿至今仍未做到这一点。不要投票给撒谎的人。不要让她成为你们的州长。如果你认为她会让你的生活变得更好，那你就是在自欺欺人。只会变得更糟，”她补充道。
“I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent — it is not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar,” she says in the ad. “People can change, but first they have to tell the truth. And my daughter still isn’t doing that. Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse,” she added.