The estranged mother of Democrat Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, who starred in an ad slamming her own daughter as a liar, has a criminal record that includes allegedly killing newborn kittens.
Donna Arthur, 81, has landed in the center of the race between her daughter and GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, after an ad supporting the billionaire saw her trash her daughter's recollection of her childhood.
However, Acton's campaign has brought that childhood experience to the light, accusing Arthur of having stood by the side of Acton's stepfather, whom she accuses of sexually abusing her at the age of 12.
Now, it's been revealed that Arthur has her own sordid past, including a 2021 animal abuse conviction, according to court filings in Pennsylvania.
Arthur was arrested after four kittens had been found in her car without the air conditioning, with temperatures reaching up to 120 degrees inside.
The kittens were found by a humane society police officer in the 'filthy' car, with one of them later dying due to heat exhaustion, a worker at local animal shelter Happy Valley Animals in Need said.
Another kitten in the litter had already died while being cared for by Arthur and their mother ran away, the founder of a separate animal shelter testified.
The officer said they felt a 'wave of heat release' when he opened the door of her car and recorded the absurdly high temperature.
Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, appears in a campaign ad urging Ohioans not to vote for her daughter
The controversial ad touches on deeply personal experiences Acton has spoken about publicly, including being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather. Acton has been estranged from her mother since she was 12 years old
Her defense argued that she was being stalked, that the car was not dangerously warm and said the officer was rude to her and shouted to her.
Arthur received a fine and probation and was banned from owning pets while living in her car but the conviction was vacated on appeal due to a procedural error, though the conviction was not overturned.
In the animal neglect case, Arthur was initially sentenced to a fine and probation and was prohibited from keeping animals while living in her car. She appealed, arguing that she had been denied counsel.
The appellate court ultimately vacated the conviction and sentence due to a procedural error and sent the case back to a trial court for further proceedings.
Donna also has prior convictions for felony theft by deception alongside her husband Cledith in 1996 and a solo conviction on the same charge in 1995.
Ramaswamy has attracted bipartisan criticism for running a spot featuring Acton's mother, who remained married to the candidate's stepfather after he was charged with sexually abusing the Democrat as a child.
Acton and her brother were removed from Arthur's custody, and Acton has been estranged from her mother since age 12.
In the ad, Arthur called her daughter a 'liar' and claimed that she 'lies about her past,' including that 'she grew up living in a tent.'
President Donald Trump doubled down on defending a controversial campaign ad run by GOP Ohio gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy during a gaggle with reporters Thursday afternoon
Arthur then implored Ohio voters not to vote for 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.
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