COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio governor said it will spend $4 million to air an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. The campaign is going ahead despite criticism from Democrats, Acton's family and a number of Republicans.

The campaign confirmed late Tuesday that it produced the one-minute video. It had first spread online without the disclaimer that political ads normally carry to show who paid for them. Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck said Acton's mother was not paid to appear and that the ad will run online and on television in the final weeks of the race.

The ad started circulating two weeks before Election Day in one of the country's most competitive governor's races. Ramaswamy and Acton are running to replace Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who cannot seek another term.

In the video, Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, speaks directly to the camera and repeatedly calls her daughter a liar.

"She lies about her past," Arthur says. She urges voters, "Don't let her become your governor."

Arthur does not mention Ramaswamy by name. She questions Acton's account of her childhood, including a period when the family was homeless and lived in a tent. Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, has confirmed........

© International Business Times