Obama Rallies in Ohio and Michigan, Says Ramaswamy Has 'No Low He Will Not Sink To'
The former president campaigned with Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown as the fight over a Republican ad featuring Acton's estranged mother becomes a national flashpoint.
Former President Barack Obama used a Saturday rally in Ohio to condemn what he called cruelty and indecency from President Trump and his Republican allies, as he worked to rally Democratic voters in the battleground states that will help decide control of Congress.
Obama aimed squarely at Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has doubled down on an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. "In recent days, we've seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to," Obama said. He noted that Acton has "spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she's experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness." "There's a decency we should expect out of our public officials," he added.
The ad features Acton's birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her "a liar" and insinuating she has mental health issues. Acton, Ohio's COVID-era health director, has spoken openly about her childhood. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather, Arthur's husband, was indicted on a rape charge involving Acton. The alleged abuse took place from December 1976 to April 1978. He failed to appear in court and became a fugitive, and Arthur stayed married to him until his death in 2004.
Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have defended the ad even as Republican leaders in Ohio, including Gov. Mike DeWine, have called for it to be pulled. "This is a disgrace," Mr. Trump said Saturday as he voted in West Palm Beach. "The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar and she's no good. And you know what? I don't think you can get a better reference on that." Ramaswamy has defended the spot as fair game.
Acton told CBS News before the rally that she has not seen her mother since she was 12 years old, in a courthouse. On stage she spoke as if addressing her opponent directly. "My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his stumbling campaign, but it's not going to work," she said. "Decency still matters." She called Ramaswamy "out of touch" and "a danger to my state."
Obama shared the stage with Acton and former three-term Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is trying to unseat Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Ohio has grown more reliably Republican, but it is a contested battleground this year, and both Mr. Trump and Vance have visited in recent weeks.
Obama also hit the president on costs, a central Trump campaign promise. He said Mr. Trump has focused instead on a new White House ballroom and a helipad on the South Lawn. "I don't know if you've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovation," Obama said. "He should be on HGTV." He said voters are stuck with Mr. Trump for two more years but not with "a spineless Congress and Republican governors," and told the crowd that after two years of what he called chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence, they can say "enough is enough."
From Ohio, the 65-year-old Obama went on to a Detroit rally for Abdul El-Sayed, who is running against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers after winning a divisive Democratic primary by less than a percentage point. Obama is due to headline a rally in Georgia next week with Sen. Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms; Mr. Trump is scheduled to speak in Georgia on Saturday.
