This story was originally published by The 19th.
When Leanna Rocheleau saw the ad that Ohio gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy created, weaponizing his opponent Dr. Amy Acton’s childhood sexual abuse, the Columbus-area mother and small business owner felt “triggered.”
Rocheleau, like nearly half of all U.S. women, is a survivor of sexual violence, and the ad hit at a gut level. In it, Acton’s long-estranged mother suggested her daughter had lied about the well-documented abuse and neglect that Acton had discussed during her campaign. Court records confirmed Acton’s account. Ramaswamy spent $4 million airing the ad anyway. Then Acton, a
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