STRONGVILLE, Ohio — Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy took aim at the news media amid a bipartisan backlash to his attack ad against Democratic opponent Amy Acton.

“I want you to hear it from me directly: These people are lying to you, but I trust you to see through it,” Ramaswamy told a crowd on Friday. “We ran an ad about lying. Amy Acton is lying. She has been lying this entire campaign about me, about her record, about her history in this state. The irony is they are lying about an ad that is about lying. That is the truth of the matter. It had nothing to do with childhood abuse, which I will be the No. 1 governor to prosecute when I am the governor of this state because it is wrong, and we together will fight against that across Ohio. That is the truth.