Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has stopped airing a controversial campaign advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, saying the ad campaign has run its course as the race for governor enters its final stretch.

“It ran to completion, and we've put up four other ads,” Ramaswamy said Thursday during a campaign stop in Vandalia, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

The 60-second advertisement features Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her past and urging voters not to elect her governor. Arthur says in the ad that Acton “is a liar” and claims she has a serious problem with the truth.

The advertisement began circulating on social media October 19, initially without clear disclosure of who had produced or funded it. Ramaswamy subsequently acknowledged that it came from his campaign and defended its use, arguing that people who know Acton personally had urged voters not to support her.

The campaign had planned to spend approximately $4 million promoting the advertisement, despite mounting criticism over its focus on Acton’s family history.

Acton has been estranged from her mother since she was 12 years old. Her family has said the separation followed allegations that her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, sexually abused her when she was a child. Court records show that he was charged in 1978, pleaded not guilty and later failed to appear in court. He never faced trial on those allegations.

Acton and her brother, Philip Stearns, have criticized Ramaswamy for using their family history in the gubernatorial campaign. Stearns accused the Republican candidate of turning the abuse his sister experienced into a political attack.

Acton also condemned the advertisement, describing it as despicable and questioning the decision to feature her estranged mother. She has previously spoken publicly about experiencing abuse, poverty and instability during her childhood before going on to pursue a medical career and lead Ohio’s public health department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The advertisement prompted criticism from prominent Republicans, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who called it deeply disturbing and urged Ramaswamy to take it down. The controversy created divisions within the state Republican Party as the campaign approached Election Day.

President Donald Trump, however, defended Ramaswamy and criticized the media’s response to the advertisement. At a rally in Chillicothe on Wednesday, Trump argued that the ad featured a mother criticizing her daughter and said Ramaswamy had been treated unfairly.

Vice President JD Vance also pushed back against Republican criticism, arguing that party members should concentrate on defeating Democrats rather than debating the advertisement’s appropriateness.

Ramaswamy did not mention the controversy during his remarks at Trump’s Chillicothe rally, instead focusing on campaign issues such as property taxes and sanctuary-city policies.

At Thursday’s stop in Vandalia, Ramaswamy said he wanted the final days of the campaign to focus on policy rather than the dispute over political advertising.

“For all of the discussion around 30-second ads, I would love even for this final close, for this campaign to really be about policy, about what are we going to do to fight for Ohioans?” he said.

The advertisement’s removal ends its run on Ohio airwaves, although the controversy surrounding its use of Acton’s family history has become a significant dispute in the governor’s race.