Former US President Barack Obama has criticised Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over an advert featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr Amy Acton, describing the campaign tactic as a breach of acceptable conduct in politics.
Obama made the remarks on Saturday while campaigning for Democrats in Ohio, where the advert has generated controversy. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ramaswamy have defended the campaign, despite calls from several Republican leaders, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, for the advert to be withdrawn.
Obama said Ramaswamy had crossed acceptable boundaries by using details of Acton’s painful childhood in his campaign.
“In recent days, we’ve seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to,” Obama said, referring to Ramaswamy. He noted that Acton had “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. “And I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior are so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”
Acton, who appeared alongside Obama, also condemned the advert, accusing her opponent of exploiting her personal history to revive his campaign.
“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.”
Addressing Ramaswamy directly, she added, “Mr. Ramaswamy, you are not just out of touch, you are out for yourself and you are a danger to my state. Apparently there is no low to which you won’t stoop.”
Ramaswamy has maintained that the advert is a legitimate campaign tactic.
Obama, 65, also used the rally to criticise Trump over the cost of living, arguing that the president had failed to deliver on a key campaign promise while concentrating on renovations at the White House.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovation,” Obama said jokingly. “He should be on HGTV.”
He continued, “There’s gold everywhere. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
The former president acknowledged that Trump would remain in office for another two years but urged voters to use the November 3, 2026, midterm elections to challenge the president’s allies in Congress and state governments.
“We’re not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are handling lawlessness and carelessness and cruelty and indifference for working people,” Obama said.
“After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence … you get a chance to say enough is enough.”
Obama shared the stage with Acton and former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat seeking to defeat Republican Senator Jon Husted. Ohio, which has increasingly leaned Republican in recent elections, has emerged as a major battleground ahead of the midterms.
Trump and Vance have visited the state in recent weeks to campaign for Husted and Ramaswamy, while the controversy surrounding the advert has intensified the contest.
After the Ohio event, Obama was scheduled to travel to Detroit, Michigan, to support Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official who won the Democratic Senate primary by less than one percentage point. El-Sayed is challenging former Republican Representative Mike Rogers.
Obama’s appearance could help El-Sayed connect with Black voters in Detroit, where about three-quarters of residents are Black. During the primary, El-Sayed’s rival, Haley Stevens, won Wayne County, which includes Detroit, by approximately six percentage points. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for El-Sayed in September.
El-Sayed had previously criticised Obama following his 2012 re-election, arguing that the former president had failed to fulfil some of his progressive campaign promises. He wrote at the time that Obama “was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one.”
However, El-Sayed told reporters earlier this month that he appreciated Obama’s influence, describing him as “foundational” to his decision to pursue public office, although he continued to disagree with aspects of the former president’s record.
Michigan will also hold elections for governor, attorney general and secretary of state. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson is scheduled to campaign alongside Obama and other party candidates. She is challenging Republican Representative John James.
Obama is also expected to headline a rally in Georgia next week with Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms. Trump is scheduled to campaign in Georgia on Saturday.
