Ramaswamy attack ad against Acton off the air after spending a fraction of original plan

A controversial campaign advertisement produced by Republican Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against his Democratic opponent Amy Acton is off the air. 

Ramaswamy's campaign spent about one-quarter of what it initially said it would spend on the ad, the Associated Press reported. 

He said during a campaign appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, on Thursday that the ad's planned run was over. 

Originally, the campaign said it would spend $4 million to run the ad, but data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact showed it spent approximately $1 million.

The ad featured Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, saying her daughter "lies about her past" and "needs help." The ad does not include an attribution to indicate its financial backer. Action has been publicly open about facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton. 

After it began airing, the ad sparked a bipartisan backlash, including from Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine who said Ramaswamy's campaign should pull the ad. 

Acton published a statement from her brother, Philip Stearns, denouncing it and highlighting that Arthur had lost custody of them when they were children. He had also suggested Ramaswamy is behind the ad, and called it a "desperate, disgusting attack." 

Ramaswamy defended the ad, though parts of it were later edited out.