Dr. Amy Acton, former Ohio Department of Health director, told reporters at the Democratic National Convention this week that she is considering running for governor of Ohio in 2026.
Acton, a Democrat, confirmed her consideration of launching a gubernatorial campaign to cleveland.com and the USA Today Network Ohio Bureau.
The upcoming battle for Ohio governor is wide open as incumbent Governor Mike DeWine’s term expires in 2026.
While serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health, Acton received heavy criticism for handling the state’s policies during the COVID-10 pandemic, prompting her resignation from the post in June 2020.
One common pleas court judge even described the pandemic-era mandates championed by Acton at the time as “arbitrary, unreasonable, and oppressive.”
After her resignation as director of the Ohio Department of Health, Acton remained an advisor to the governor in DeWine’s administration.
However, her role as an advisor was short-lived. She soon returned to The Columbus Foundation before exiting that post in 2021.
In recent times, Acton has actively been stumping for this year’s three Democratic Ohio Supreme Court candidates and the proposed constitutional amendment to change Ohio’s redistricting process, which voters will see on the November 5 general election ballot as Issue 1.
Acton is also a pro-choice advocate, as she recently spoke at an event held by the group Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights.
Acton’s potential bid for governor has already sparked opposition from groups across Ohio.
The Franklin County Libertarian Party of Ohio was among those groups, writing in a social media post, “Thousands of elderly and loved ones were locked in their homes and care facilities, left to die alone on the orders that despicable woman signed with a smile.”
“Amy Acton saved no one. Not a single action, order signed, human right violated, saved one life, but it is easily shown that her actions led to the untimely death of healthy and frail Ohioans who died from neglect, despair and malpractice,” the Franklin County Libertarian Party of Ohio added.
Chris Dorr, the executive director of Ohio Guns Owners, also warned against Acton’s potential candidacy, calling the former health director the “embodiment of weaponizing the medical system against every single freedom that you and I love, including the Second Amendment.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
