Amy Acton seeks Ohio governor seat in 2026

Amy Acton, a Democrat, is running for Ohio governor in the 2026 general election. She faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Libertarian Don Kissick, according to BallotReady election data.

Acton is certified for the ballot.

Acton announced her candidacy on Jan. 7, 2025, according to her Wikipedia entry. She chose former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper as her running mate in January 2026.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio Governor
Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
Birthplace: Youngstown, Ohio (born Feb. 16, 1966)
Education: Bachelor's degree from Youngstown State University; doctorate in medicine from Northeast Ohio Medical University, earned in 1990; master's in public health from The Ohio State University
Running mate: David Pepper

Acton was the first woman to serve as director of the Ohio Department of Health, her Wikipedia entry notes. She received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2021 from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. USA Today named her Ohio Woman of the Year in 2022.

Experience and public service

Acton served as director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019 to 2020, according to BallotReady. She then served as chief health advisor in the office of Governor Mike DeWine in 2020, her Wikipedia entry notes.

She worked as an associate professor at The Ohio State University and as community research and grants management officer at The Columbus Foundation, according to BallotReady. She also served as director of Project LOVE (Love Our Kids, Vaccinate Early) and as president and chief executive officer of RAPID 5 from 2022 to 2023, according to her Wikipedia entry. After her resignation as health director, she helped found the Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Acton's campaign website and reflect the candidate's own statements.

Health care and costs: Acton said she would "use the power of the state to reduce prescription drug costs" and demand more transparency from hospitals and insurance companies. She said she would also stop surprise bills and "create partnerships to erase oppressive medical debt …" She said she would protect reproductive freedom, including access to abortion care, contraception, fertility treatments and miscarriage care. On senior care, she said she would invest in training for the long-term care workforce.

Education: Acton said she would restore public school funding to a constitutional level and gain control of what she called the "opaque private school voucher system with runaway costs," using savings to invest in students, teachers and proven practices.

Economy and affordability: Acton said she would conduct a "full, top-to-bottom review" of JobsOhio, requiring more transparency. She said she would focus on supporting small businesses, expanding workforce development and investing in broadband and transportation. She also said new data centers are causing bills to increase and pledged that consumers would not shoulder those added costs.

Workers' rights: Acton said she would "stand up for workers' rights and union rights at every turn," including opposing right-to-work legislation in Ohio and combating wage theft.

Public safety and government reform: Acton said she would fully fund police and public safety and pursue reforms to reduce gun violence. On government reform, she said she would mandate more disclosure, reform campaign finance and open bidding and contracting processes.