Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio’s early pandemic response, joins 2026 governor's race

News

Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio’s early pandemic response, joins 2026 governor's race
News

News

Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio’s early pandemic response, joins 2026 governor's race

2025-01-08 05:32 Last Updated At:05:40

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton, who became a household name in the state in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is running for governor.

Acton, 58, a physician and public health expert who stood alongside Republican Gov. Mike DeWine for months during his daily coronavirus briefings, said people still stop her in the grocery store or at a restaurant to share their struggles — and she doesn't want to look away.

“I feel like I have a bond with Ohioans and a connection,” she said in an Associated Press interview. “You don’t go through what we’ve been through — trying to save 11.7 million people the way we did — and not have some special connection.”

Acton filed paperwork and launched her campaign Tuesday. She plans to run as a Democrat, which places her at an immediate disadvantage in a state that has turned solidly red in recent years.

While she has said before that serving in DeWine’s cabinet taught her much about how the office operates, on Tuesday she said she believes that Ohio's Republican leaders — who control all three branches of state government — are spending too much time fighting the culture wars and they're taking the state in the wrong direction.

“It’s not OK with me that Ohioans don’t live as long as people do in other states," she said. "It’s not OK with me to watch what used to be a top education system, state-of-the-art education system, begin to fall year after year after year. It’s not OK with me that our GDP is like 45th and our biggest export is Ohioans, is young people.”

Acton's entry into the race comes as Republicans Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Attorney General Dave Yost already are positioning to run for the seat, which the 78-year-old DeWine must vacate next year due to term limits. But the landscape of the race is far from settled.

DeWine has yet to appoint a replacement to U.S. Sen. JD Vance, who will be inaugurated as Donald Trump's vice president Jan. 20. Though DeWine has long endorsed Husted as his favored successor, the lieutenant governor is now considered a leading contender as his pick for the Senate. That's after Husted and DeWine met with Trump and Vance last month at Mar-a-Lago, a trip first reported by WEWS-TV.

Giving Husted the job would create a political opening for Trump insider Vivek Ramaswamy to possibly make a gubernatorial run against Yost in the 2026 primary. Ramaswamy has said he would not seek the Senate opening — Ohio's third in as many years — right now, because he's busy heading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency effort with Elon Musk. DOGE is not an actual government department, but a private effort.

DeWine plucked Acton from Ohio State University, where she was an associate professor of public health, to lead the Ohio Department of Health in 2019. As the pandemic ramped up in early 2020, she was thrown into the state and national spotlight — becoming a beloved source of comfort to many viewers of the governor's daily news conferences.

For her service as health director, Acton earned the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Profile in COVID Courage Award, the Columbus Foundation’s Spirit of Columbus Award and Ohio State’s highest alumni honor, the Alumni Medalist Award.

But her position as the face of the DeWine administration's aggressive stance against the virus also earned Acton many enemies, among them Statehouse Republicans and average Ohioans who opposed pandemic restrictions.

During the crisis, Acton used the health director's broad emergency powers to halt the state's 2020 presidential primary, to temporarily close gyms and fitness centers around the state, and to impose stay-at-home orders as the administration tried to prevent COVID’s spread. Husted also took part in the administration's COVID response, but not to the extent that Acton did.

After a grueling period of public exposure, angry demonstrations, lawsuits and personal attacks, Acton resigned her state job in June 2020. DeWine sent her off fondly, describing her as a hero in a white coat. She stayed on as his chief health adviser until that August.

She said Tuesday that she recognizes she has not held elective office, but she feels she has the skills necessary to do the job.

“We know that I’m a doctor. I’m not a politician,” she said. “But I am a leader, and I tend to think of myself as more of a public servant and a problem solver.”

After leaving government, Acton joined the Columbus Foundation as a grants director with the title “vice president for Human:Kind.” She left that post after about six months to explore a run for U.S. Senate, ultimately deciding against joining the 2022 contest won by Vance. She later took on a job as director of the city of Columbus' Project L.O.V.E., an initiative aimed at encouraging early vaccinations in children.

Acton said she has spent all that time supporting candidates and causes that she believes in and carefully considering whether to enter politics.

“My challenge to whoever else wants to run in this race is it's time to put something bigger than ourselves at the top here,” she said. “So many of us have values in Ohio that we all hold dear. We have got to put the real problems, the day-to-day problems we all face on the table and put that first.”

FILE - Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton gives an update on the state's preparedness and education efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

FILE - Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton gives an update on the state's preparedness and education efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

Next Article

PHOTO COLLECTION: Trump Tariffs

2025-04-03 15:54 Last Updated At:16:01

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

Indian bikers Arup Pathak, right, Abbasuddin Ahmed, center, and Ripon Basak pose with their Harley Davidson motorbikes in Guwahati, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Indian bikers Arup Pathak, right, Abbasuddin Ahmed, center, and Ripon Basak pose with their Harley Davidson motorbikes in Guwahati, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Indian bikers Abbasuddin Ahmed, center, flanked by Ripon Basak, right, and Arup Pathak ride their Harley Davidson motorbikes in Guwahati, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Indian bikers Abbasuddin Ahmed, center, flanked by Ripon Basak, right, and Arup Pathak ride their Harley Davidson motorbikes in Guwahati, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Romesh Sapra, an architect, rides his Harley Davidson motorcycle near his house in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)

Romesh Sapra, an architect, rides his Harley Davidson motorcycle near his house in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)

Romesh Sapra, an architect, prepares to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle near his house in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)

Romesh Sapra, an architect, prepares to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle near his house in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Employee Jonathon Cortez, left, helps a customer find metal screws at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Employee Jonathon Cortez, left, helps a customer find metal screws at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Employee Jonathon Cortez, left, helps a customer find metal screws at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Employee Jonathon Cortez, left, helps a customer find metal screws at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Stainless sreel fasteners are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Stainless sreel fasteners are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Loose nails are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Loose nails are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Steel lumber nails are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Steel lumber nails are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Steel cable is for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Steel cable is for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Employee Jonathon Cortez works in an aisle of metal hardware at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Employee Jonathon Cortez works in an aisle of metal hardware at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Metal fasteners are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Metal fasteners are for sale at employee-owned Devon Hardware, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Elbows Up for Canada protesters gather near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Elbows Up for Canada protesters gather near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Elbows Up for Canada protesters gather near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Elbows Up for Canada protesters gather near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Kate Powers, left, addresses protesters gathered near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Kate Powers, left, addresses protesters gathered near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Beth McKee holds a sign as she stands over the highway near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Beth McKee holds a sign as she stands over the highway near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Deborah Tatko has a photo taken with her signs as she stands with protesters gathered near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Deborah Tatko has a photo taken with her signs as she stands with protesters gathered near The Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Cranes and shipping containers are seen at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Cranes and shipping containers are seen at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Cranes and shipping containers are seen at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Cranes and shipping containers are seen at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export are parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export are parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export are parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export are parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Cranes and shipping containers are seen at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Cranes and shipping containers are seen at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export stand parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export stand parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export park at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Vehicles for export park at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A truck container drives past the Jakarta International container terminal at Tanjung Priok seaport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A truck container drives past the Jakarta International container terminal at Tanjung Priok seaport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A truck container drives past the Jakarta International container terminal at Tanjung Priok seaport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A truck container drives past the Jakarta International container terminal at Tanjung Priok seaport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Cambodian garment worker buys cloth during a lunch break on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian garment worker buys cloth during a lunch break on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian garment workers look at clothes displayed for sale during a lunch break on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village, outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian garment workers look at clothes displayed for sale during a lunch break on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village, outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian garment workers join for lunch on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian garment workers join for lunch on a sidewalk at Ang Tako village outside Phnom Penh Cambodia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

News of tariff hikes announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a display screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Us President Donald Trump appears on a television screen at the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Us President Donald Trump appears on a television screen at the stock market in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Containers are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined from left by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., as they speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined from left by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., as they speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

From left, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Members of congress and invited guests listen as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Members of congress and invited guests listen as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Retired autoworker Brian Pannebecker speaks as President Donald Trump listens during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Retired autoworker Brian Pannebecker speaks as President Donald Trump listens during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick holds a chart as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick holds a chart as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Recommended Articles
Hot · Posts