Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted (R) has publicly criticized a controversial campaign advertisement released by Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for the Ohio gubernatorial nomination. The advertisement, which first appeared online, features the mother of Ramaswamy’s political opponent, Amy. In a statement provided to the Associated Press on Wednesday, Husted explicitly stated that he “would not have run” the ad, signaling a disagreement with the campaign's tactical choice to involve a family member of an opponent.

The Hill reports that Husted’s comments serve as a notable pushback from a prominent state Republican figure against the tone of Ramaswamy’s campaign. While the report confirms the existence of the ad and Husted's disapproval, it provides limited context regarding the specific content of the ad or the reaction from the Ramaswamy campaign itself. The report focuses primarily on the friction between established state GOP leadership and the campaign tactics employed by the gubernatorial hopeful.