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Vance jokes he'll meet Democrat Amy Acton at a bar during Lima, Ohio rally

At a Friday midterm rally in Lima, Ohio, Vice President JD Vance called Democratic governor nominee Amy Acton a "crazy person" and joked about meeting her at a bar, echoing Republican ads about her drinking, which she denies.

3 outlets · 1L · 1C · 1R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). New coverage since the last version from Raw Story.

Image: Washington Examiner
Image: Newsweek
Image: Raw Story

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The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Vice President JD Vance said at a Friday rally in Lima, Ohio, that he "did promise Amy that I would meet her at a bar later" and that "she's into that sort of thing, so I'm going to try to get to know her a little bit better." Right · 1The remark pointed to Republican allegations that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton has a problem with alcohol; the Washington Examiner described the joke as poking fun at those allegations, which it called unverified. Mixed · 2Vance also called Acton a "crazy person" and said he did not know much about her beyond that she "wanted to mask all of our 2-year-olds and keep them from going to school." The Examiner reported that the two have never met.

Mixed · 2He blamed Acton, who was Ohio Department of Health director from 2019 to 2020, for school closures, church restrictions and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mixed · 2The accounts of the basis for the drinking ads differ in detail. The Examiner cites an August 2019 Bexley police report of a domestic dispute call in which Acton said she took migraine medication while drinking alcohol. Newsweek, citing the Ohio Capital Journal and a police report, says the ads stem from a 2019 911 call by Acton's daughter saying "mom has been drinking and throwing things," and that Acton's campaign said she had one glass of wine. Mixed · 2Acton denies any problem, saying "I have never had an alcohol problem" and telling the Ohio Capital Journal it is "horrible to make lies about alcohol and drug abuse." The Examiner adds that her opponent Vivek Ramaswamy called her a "chronic liar" and that conservative activist Laura Loomer made further unverified claims.

Left · 1Raw Story, citing The New Republic, reported that the remark drew backlash online and that Ramaswamy and groups backing him have spent millions on ads painting Acton as an alcoholic; The New Republic called the joke "a crude and unfunny joke" and part of a "cheap GOP smear campaign." Left · 1Critics on social media, including political scientist Norman Ornstein, who called Vance "a lowlife," and commentator Bruce Crossing, who wrote "Cover your drink, Amy!", reacted sharply, according to Raw Story. Mixed · 2Vance, who is from Middletown and was a US senator from Ohio from 2023 to 2025, was campaigning for Ramaswamy and Sen. Jon Husted, who faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown in a special election. He also attacked Brown's record, and Brown's campaign replied by criticising Husted's votes on the Iran war, data-centre tax deals and health care.

Left · 1Raw Story added that Acton said this week she will not debate Ramaswamy, calling him a "chronic liar" who has "attacked my family," and that last month an armed man lunged at her at a campaign event near Youngstown, injuring several people before being arrested. Centre · 1Newsweek places the rally in a competitive Ohio: the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rate both races toss-ups, and polls vary. A CNN poll had Acton ahead 50 to 42 percent and Brown ahead 49 to 43, while a co/efficient poll had Ramaswamy up 45 to 43 and Husted up 44 to 43. Right · 1President Donald Trump is also campaigning in Ohio ahead of the Nov. 3 election, with a rally scheduled in Youngstown on Monday.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Frames the joke as a creepy, personal smear and leads with online backlash, quoting The New Republic and critics.
Emphasis
Reaction to the joke, the claim that the ads are a smear campaign, Acton's denial and campaign explanation, and the bitterness of the race.
Leaves out or plays down
Polling detail, Vance's COVID-era criticisms of Acton, and the Brown/Husted Senate race.
Charged language
“creeps out internet”“a crude and unfunny joke”“cheap GOP smear campaign”
For example
“‘What in the Cornell hell?’ JD Vance creeps out internet with bar joke about Ohio Democrat” — Raw Story
““This is yet another shot in a cheap GOP smear campaign to convince Ohio voters that Acton is some raging alcoholic and drug addict,”” — Raw Story

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Treats the rally as part of a tightening Ohio midterm picture; the joke is one remark among Vance's attacks on Acton and Brown.
Emphasis
Polls, race ratings, Senate control stakes, Brown campaign's rebuttal, and the daughter's 911 call and Acton's campaign explanation.
Leaves out or plays down
Loomer's claims and the 1993 traffic violation; the Examiner's account that Acton admitted mixing medication and alcohol; the online backlash.
For example
“Both the Senate and gubernatorial races are toss-ups, according to the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.” — Newsweek

Right1 outlet

Framing
Centres on the bar joke and the alcohol allegations against Acton, with Vance's remarks and her denial.
Emphasis
The joke, the 2019 police report, Loomer's claims, Ramaswamy's "chronic liar" charge and Vance's COVID-era criticism of Acton.
Leaves out or plays down
Polling and the competitiveness of Ohio's races; Acton's one-glass-of-wine explanation and the daughter's 911 call; the online backlash.
For example
“poking fun at the Republican Party’s allegations that she is an alcoholic” — Washington Examiner