Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy is ‘thirsty’ for attention, says Obama in Ohio

Washington, October 25 (IANS) Former US President Barack Obama mocked Indian-American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy as “thirsty” for attention at his first rally of the midterm campaign, saying the Ohio governor candidate had shown “there is no line he won’t cross” with an ad featuring his rival’s estranged mother.“We all know that guy — who is, like, thirsty,” Obama said of Ramaswamy in Cleveland on Saturday. “Just wants to get attention no matter what, willing to do anything. And in recent days we’ve seen there is no line he won’t cross.”“I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior have gotten so low that somebody can run an ad like that,” he added.Obama spoke at the Cleveland Public Auditorium to boost Democrat Amy Acton, Ramaswamy’s rival, and former Senator Sherrod Brown, who is trying to win back his old seat. He spent much of his 35-minute speech attacking President Donald Trump.Acton also addressed the controversy. “My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his struggling campaign, but it’s not going to work,” she said.The Ramaswamy campaign responded through spokesperson Connie Luck. “Ohioans can’t afford a liberal governor who shows up for Obama but never shows up for them,” she said.The rally came as Ramaswamy’s campaign switched to a 30-second version of the ad, a person close to the campaign told NBC News. The shorter cut drops the mother’s disputed claim that Acton never lived in a tent as a child.In the ad, Donna Arthur calls her daughter a “liar”. Acton has said she has not seen or talked to Arthur in nearly 50 years and was removed from her custody in 1978 after her then-stepfather was charged with rape.The backlash has brought money to Acton, including a $500,000 donation from MK Pritzker, wife of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Al Jazeera reported.The ad has split Republicans. Governor Mike DeWine, who has endorsed Ramaswamy, called it “deeply, deeply troubling”, while Vice President JD Vance told Republicans to “stop whining.” Trump has called the ad “very powerful”.The Cook Political Report moved the race from toss-up to Lean Democratic on Friday, citing the fallout. Sabato’s Crystal Ball also rates it Lean DemocraticRamaswamy, 41, a biotech entrepreneur born and raised in Ohio, is running with Trump’s endorsement. Acton, 60, a physician, led Ohio’s Covid-19 response as health director.Trump is due back in Ohio next week for an event in Chillicothe. A win for Acton would make her Ohio’s first Democratic governor in 20 years.The election is on November 3.