Ramaswamy's Attack Ad Cycles Off the Air

A TV spot that featured a candidate's estranged mother in Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for governor of Ohio is no longer airing. The Republican's campaign confirmed Thursday that its ad featuring Donna Arthur, the mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton, has finished its scheduled run and been replaced with other spots, NBC News reports. "It ran to completion, and we put up four other ads," Ramaswamy said at a stop in Vandalia, Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

The ad drew criticism from both parties, including Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who backs Ramaswamy. In it, Arthur brands Acton a "liar" and urges voters to reject her, without mentioning the decades-old rape case involving Acton's former stepfather that Acton says led to their estrangement. Acton called the ad "despicable." Her campaign accused Ramaswamy of pulling the ad "in the most cowardly way possible," noting he has not apologized. His campaign spent about $1 million to broadcast two versions of the ad, about one-fourth of the amount it had said it would, according to AdImpact data as of Thursday, per the Washington Post.