FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 26, 2026
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FACT CHECK: Ramaswamy’s Ad Falsely Blames Dr. Acton For Death of Kentucky Resident
“…records show the woman lived in Kentucky and died weeks after Ohio ended its stay-at-home order.”
COLUMBUS, OH– New reporting from The Columbus Dispatch reveals that Vivek Ramaswamy’s newest ad “features a GOP activist” who falsely blames Dr. Acton for isolating her late mother during the pandemic. The Dispatch verified records proving the activist’s mother was “from Erlanger, Kentucky; belonged to a church in Elsmere, Kentucky; and died July 25, 2020, at a hospice facility in Edgewood, Kentucky,” six weeks after Dr. Acton stepped down as Health Director.
The activist, Linda Caudill, “served as a delegate for Trump in 2016 and 2024,” “sparked controversy as a volunteer for former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci’s 2017 campaign for governor,” and is pictured “in a viral photo of protesters gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse on April 13, 2020, to oppose DeWine’s pandemic policies.”
The Dispatch fact checks a repeated lie from the Ramaswamy campaign blaming Dr. Acton for pandemic-era decisions. In reality, “DeWine, a Republican who appointed Acton to the job in 2019, said he bears full responsibility for his administration’s decisions.”
READ: Records dispute key claim in Ramaswamy ad targeting Acton
- A new ad from Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign features a GOP activist who blames Amy Acton for isolating her late mother during the COVID-19 pandemic, but records show the woman lived in Kentucky and died weeks after Ohio ended its stay-at-home order.
- The ad doesn’t identify the nursing home or specify where Caudill’s mother spent her final months. But her obituary, first reported by the liberal website TiffinOhio.net and verified by the statehouse bureau, indicates she was from Erlanger, Kentucky; belonged to a church in Elsmere, Kentucky; and died July 25, 2020, at a hospice facility in Edgewood, Kentucky, six weeks after Acton stepped down as health director.
- Additional public records list northern Kentucky addresses for Caudill’s mother that date back decades.
- The woman’s death also came two months after DeWine lifted Ohio’s stay-at-home order and travel restrictions, though officials encouraged high-risk people to stay home when possible. The order, when it was in effect, included exceptions for Ohioans who needed to care for elderly loved ones.
- DeWine, a Republican who appointed Acton to the job in 2019, said he bears full responsibility for his administration’s decisions.
- Caudill is no stranger to Republican politics in Ohio. She served as a delegate for Trump in 2016 and 2024. She also sparked controversy as a volunteer for former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci’s 2017 campaign for governor, in part for sharing a meme that suggested violence against then-Secretary of State Jon Husted.
- Caudill can be seen in a viral photo of protesters gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse on April 13, 2020, to oppose DeWine’s pandemic policies.
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