The estranged mother of Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, who appeared in a campaign advertisement accusing her daughter of lying, has a criminal history that includes an animal-abuse case involving the deaths of kittens.
Donna Arthur, 81, has become an unexpected figure in the contest between Acton and Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy after appearing in a pro-Ramaswamy ad that disputed her daughter’s account of her childhood.
Acton’s campaign has responded by highlighting her difficult childhood, alleging that Arthur remained with Acton’s stepfather despite accusations that he sexually abused Acton when she was 12.
Arthur’s own legal history has now come under scrutiny, including a 2021 animal-abuse conviction detailed in Pennsylvania court filings.
She was arrested after four kittens were discovered inside her car with the air conditioning off. Temperatures inside the vehicle reportedly climbed as high as 120 degrees.
A humane society police officer found the kittens in what was described as a filthy vehicle. One later died from heat exhaustion, according to a worker at the local shelter Happy Valley Animals in Need.
The founder of another animal shelter testified that a second kitten from the litter had already died while in Arthur’s care and that the kittens’ mother had run away.
The officer said opening the car door released a “wave of heat” and that the temperature inside was recorded at an exceptionally high level.
Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, appears in a campaign ad urging Ohio voters not to support her daughter
The controversial advertisement focuses on deeply personal experiences Acton has discussed publicly, including her claim that she was sexually abused by her stepfather as a child. Acton has been estranged from her mother since she was 12
Arthur’s defense argued that she was being stalked and maintained that the vehicle had not reached a dangerously high temperature. Her attorneys also said the officer had been rude and shouted at her.
Arthur was fined, placed on probation and prohibited from owning pets while living in her car. An appeals court later vacated the conviction because of a procedural error, although it did not overturn the underlying conviction.
In the animal-neglect case, Arthur initially received a fine and probation and was barred from keeping animals while living in her vehicle. She appealed, arguing that she had been denied legal counsel.
The appellate court ultimately vacated the conviction and sentence because of the procedural issue, returning the case to the trial court for additional proceedings.
Arthur also has earlier convictions for felony theft by deception: one involving her husband, Cledith, in 1996, and another from a separate case in 1995.
Ramaswamy has faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for using Arthur in the advertisement, particularly because she remained married to Acton’s stepfather after he was charged with sexually abusing Acton when she was a child.
Acton and her brother were removed from Arthur’s custody, and Acton has said she has been estranged from her mother since the age of 12.
In the ad, Arthur described her daughter as a “liar” and accused her of misrepresenting her upbringing, including her claim that she “grew up living in a tent.”
President Donald Trump defended a controversial campaign advertisement by Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a Thursday afternoon exchange with reporters
Arthur ended the message by urging Ohio voters not to support Acton.
But critics have accused Ramaswamy of exploiting Acton’s traumatic childhood for political gain.
The controversy touches on deeply personal experiences Acton has spoken about publicly, including being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather.
Court records cited by the Associated Press show the man was charged and indicted in 1978 for raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter.
He pleaded not guilty, failed to appear in court and was later declared a fugitive.
Acton and her brother were ultimately removed from their mother’s custody.
Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, has defended her account of their childhood and released an attack ad of his own condemning Ramaswamy’s decision to use the family’s history in the campaign.
‘Shame on Vivek. The contempt he has for Amy is the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead,’ Stearns said.
Vivek Ramaswamy was heckled by a rally attendee on Tuesday evening, who was ultimately kicked out for shouting about his ad attack against opponent Amy Acton
Acton’s team issued a statement from her brother condemning the attacks from their mother
Acton also denounced Ramaswamy’s ad after it aired, saying she had not seen her mother since childhood.
‘The words our leaders use matter, and I think it’s going to take courage right now from all of us to stop normalizing this sort of rhetoric,’ she told Spectrum News Ohio.
The backlash has spread beyond Acton’s family, exposing divisions among Republicans over whether the ad will help or hurt Ramaswamy in the final stretch of the campaign.
CNN commentator and GOP strategist Scott Jennings called the ad ‘extremely risky,’ warning that the campaign may have underestimated the backlash it would provoke.
On Truth Social, he complained about Ohio’s current Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who had told the Associated Press that he found the spot ‘deeply, deeply troubling.’
‘He probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn’t want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing,’ Trump grumbled about DeWine, who has previously broken with the President on several issues.
Ohio has been firmly in the Republican column since Trump first won in 2016, but Democrats this cycle appear to be getting it closer to bringing it back to swing state status.
The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Acton 3.6 percent ahead of Ramaswamy, who ran against Trump for President in the 2024 primary, before swiftly endorsing him after the Iowa caucuses.
In the Senate race, former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat in 2024, has pulled ahead of Republican Senator Jon Husted in most polls.
The President will return to the state on Wednesday for another rally in Chillicothe.
