COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — In her first interview since declaring a run for governor, Dr. Amy Acton explained her decision and also the disagreement that ultimately led to her stepping down as state health director.
Acton announced her candidacy as a Democrat, becoming the first from her party to do so. With Republicans controlling all statewide offices, both U.S. Senate seats and holding supermajorities in both chambers of the Statehouse, Acton is seeking to buck a trend.
“I’m a doctor, not a politician,” Acton said in an interview with NBC4’s Colleen Marshall. “And the thing I’m most not is a pundit.
“But I will tell you this: Ohioans need a plan. I am a very hopeful person. I’ve lived through a lot of hardship in my own life. I’ve experienced a lot of the struggles that Ohioans are experiencing. But we define hope in my team as optimism, plus a plan.”
Acton said she’s taking her ideas from meeting with citizens.
“I’m listening to Ohioans on their struggles, the things that matter most to them, and what you will see from me and my team is that we will be putting together a plan,” she said. “It will not be partisan. It will be around the issues that we care about most.”
Republicans who have declared their candidacy for governor or are expected to run include Morgan County resident Heather Hill, billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, state Treasurer Robert Sprague and state Attorney General Dave Yost. Current Gov. Mike DeWine is not eligible for a third term.
Watch: Dr. Amy Acton full interview with Colleen Marshall
Acton came to prominence in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, when she regularly appeared alongside DeWine at daily briefings, as a calming voice when little was known about the disease. Her demeanor could serve as an indicator of how she’d approach the governor’s office, presenting a contrast with Republicans such as President Donald Trump.
“Ohioans are telling me they’re tired of vitriol, they’re tired of hate, and they want to see us focusing on the issues that really matter to them,” she said.
Being an advocate of facemasks and social distancing made Acton the target of protestors in 2020, but she said that wasn’t why she ultimately stepped down from office in June. As state health director, she had to sign health orders closing businesses and other places.
Acton argued that an unchecked spread of the disease before any treatments had been developed would have overrun hospitals and contributed to more deaths.
But she couldn’t agree when it came to one order: permitting fairs, facing resistance from Republicans that included former House speaker Larry Householder, now in a federal prison.
“There was a real pressure on the governor and on me to sign orders. And this one order in particular was the final straw for me. It was to open the fairs,” Acton said. “We were just, if you remember, beginning to open businesses and finally stabilizing our hospitals. And it was pressure for fairs to be opened in a way that there was no science for.”
The run for governor is just beginning, with the general election taking place in November 2026.