Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted a video to his X account on Tuesday in which he dismissed Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton as having no vision “other than complain about what someone else did to her.” The remark landed one day after the Acton campaign condemned Ramaswamy’s allies for shaming Acton over her documented childhood sexual abuse.

In the roughly 80-second clip, Ramaswamy also claims Acton “shut down our economy” and made Ohio “the first state who shut down our public schools.” Gov. Mike DeWine, who appointed Acton as health director and has endorsed Ramaswamy, has publicly said those decisions were his — not Acton’s. “Decisions that were made were made by the governor,” DeWine told WCPO on Monday. “If there is a member of the cabinet who issues an order, that was at my direction.”

The video closes: “We have a chance to elect a governor — I hope I’ll lay it out for you — a positive vision for our state versus a governor who has none at all other than complain about what someone else did to her.”

A well-documented history

Acton is a childhood sexual abuse survivor. Her story has been publicly documented for years.

In a 2019 profile published by The Vindicator, Acton described being molested between the ages of 9 and 12 by her mother’s husband, who had prior accusations of molestation. Criminal charges were filed. Acton grew up on Youngstown’s north side in what she has described as conditions of neglect, abuse, and periods of homelessness.

In 1994, Acton disclosed on her medical licensure application that she had sought therapy for the childhood experience. That question has since been removed from Ohio medical license applications because it was found to deter applicants from seeking needed treatment.

The week leading up to the video

Ramaswamy’s video arrived at the end of a turbulent stretch in the governor’s race.

Last week, NBC News reported on a 2019 Bexley police report documenting a verbal dispute between Acton and her husband over her work hours while she was serving as Ohio’s health director. The Acton campaign said she had one drink at dinner, accidentally bumped a wall hanging that fell, and was asleep when police arrived. Officers found no evidence of physical violence.

In the days that followed, Ramaswamy’s allies amplified the police report and surfaced Acton’s 1994 medical licensure disclosure — weaponizing her decision to seek therapy after being sexually abused as a child.

Donald Trump Jr. posted that Acton should be “seeking help” rather than running for governor. Ramaswamy’s X account reposted that message.

On Monday — the day before Ramaswamy posted the video — the Acton campaign released a statement from Campaign Manager Phil Stein condemning the attacks.

“We were shocked and disgusted to see Ramaswamy’s allies shame Amy for being sexually abused as a child,” Stein said. “Amy is proud of the fact that she got the help she needed and encourages anyone with similar experiences to do so.”

“It’s shameful that Ramaswamy’s allies are attacking someone for seeking treatment after being sexually abused as a child,” the statement continued. “As a doctor, as a survivor, and as a mom, Amy is disgusted that Vivek would do anything but stand with childhood survivors of sexual assault.”

A broader pattern

The Acton campaign’s statement pointed to what it called a consistent pattern of Ramaswamy ignoring sexual abuse.

The campaign noted that Ramaswamy refused for months to call for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, accepted $100,000 from an Epstein associate accused of having sex with underage girls and never returned the money, and promoted the endorsement of state Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), who was accused of climbing into bed with a minor female relative while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents.

Ramaswamy’s campaign quietly removed Creech from its endorsements page earlier this month after TiffinOhio.net reported on the allegations. Creech’s name had appeared on the page for more than a year.

The Ramaswamy campaign did not respond to a request for comment from TiffinOhio.net.

DeWine also defended Acton’s record when asked about the police report. “Amy Acton — I thought did a good job as director,” he told WCPO. “I’m the one who appointed her.”

Ohio’s gubernatorial primary is May 5. Acton is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Ramaswamy faces longshot challengers in the Republican primary. Recent polling shows the general election race within the margin of error.