John Legend to Appear With Democratic Ohio Gov. Candidate Amy Acton Amid Backlash Against Opponent’s ‘Deeply Troubling’ Ad
Categoria: Musica
President Trump has lashed out at the criticism of former DOGE architect Vivek Ramaswamy's spot featuring Acton's long-estranged mother disparaging her daughter.
Por Billboard | 23/10/2026
John Legend will throw his hat into the ring for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy on Monday (Oct. 26), when he is slated to appear with the former state director of the Ohio Department of Health at a rally in Dayton. Legend is just one of the bold-faced names Acton will bring out on the road with her in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 midterm election in which she is facing off against tech mogul and former DOGE co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy. First up on Sunday (Oct. 25) will be a joint appearance in Akron with Democratic U.S. Senator from Georgia Rev. Raphael Warnock, followed by a rally in Cincinnati on Oct. 28 featuring Queen City natives Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger of The National. Springfield, Ohio native Legend has long used his platform to stump for candidates and causes, backing former President Barack Obama in 2008 and endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential bid. He also spoke out during that campaign against unfounded, “hateful” racist attacks by then-candidate Donald Trump and running mate and Ohio native JD Vance against the Haitian resident of Springfield. Legend’s support for Acton comes as Ramaswamy’s campaign has come under fierce bipartisan pushback for a campaign ad in which Acton’s long-estranged mother repeatedly calls her daughter a “liar” while insinuating that Acton’s claims that she was sexually abused by her stepdad, and that the family was homeless and lived in a tent for a period, are untrue. “It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem,” Donna Arthur says in the ad. “She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.” Acton, 60, has said she hasn’t spoken to her mother since she was 12-years-old, when officials removed her from her mother’s custody. Police arrested Acton’s stepfather in July 1978 on rape charges , with a grand jury later indicting Arthur for engaging in sexual conduct with Acton when she was under the age of 13. Arthur, who pleaded not guilty to the charges initially, did not appear in court and later fled, along with her mother, and became a fugitive. 13ABC also reported that documents provided by Acton’s campaign include police and court records and a 1982 sheriff’s report in which a park manager confirmed that Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, lived at the campground years earlier. The ad, which many political pundits have called the most disturbing of a very heated political season, has gotten pushback from Acton, who called it “horrible,” “hideous” and “exploitative .” In a statement, her brother, Philip Stearns, dubbed the spot a “ despicable low ,” saying the attempt to turn “the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point.” Her former boss, Ohio’s Republic