Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has sharply criticized Senator JD Vance of Ohio for his past support of Vivek Ramaswamy, particularly regarding a controversial campaign advertisement. Christie specifically targeted Vance's defense of an ad that featured Ramaswamy's estranged mother.
This ad, which Ramaswamy's campaign was behind, used the mother of Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor, in an attack ad. The advertisement failed to mention that the mother had lost custody of Acton after Acton's stepfather was charged with her sexual abuse. The ad drew criticism from politicians across the political spectrum for its perceived cruelty.
Christie, in an interview, condemned Vance's decision to defend the ad. "You not only have to question the judgment of a man who would take a woman, an elderly woman, out of the car she was living in, in a parking lot of a church in Pennsylvania with her cats, and put her in front of a video camera — and make that a TV ad in a gubernatorial race," Christie stated, referring to Ramaswamy's campaign tactics.
Christie expressed that while Ramaswamy, who ultimately lost the election, will likely fade into obscurity, Vance's association with the ad will be a more lasting part of his public record. "JD Vance is going to be remembered, I think from this campaign for more than anything else," Christie said. "A man who wrote a book on Catholicism stood behind that ad. It’s a disgrace."