Current:Home > FinanceDr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio’s early pandemic response, is weighing 2026 run for governor -Wealth Navigators Hub
Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio’s early pandemic response, is weighing 2026 run for governor
View
Date:2025-04-12 11:52:20
COLUMBUS (AP) — Dr. Amy Acton, the former Ohio health director who became a household name during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, says she is considering a run for governor in 2026.
Acton shared her deliberations with reporters during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday.
“I have experience I just want to give back, and this is a time of my life where I can,” the physician and public health expert told cleveland. com. Acton, a Democrat, said she learned a lot about how the governor’s office runs while serving in Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration, appearing at his side during televised daily coronavirus briefings in early 2020.
“I always am just really focused on how I can best be of service,” she told the USA Today Network Ohio Bureau. “Obviously, I’m not a politician. I used to joke that I’m the Ted Lasso of politics.”
Acton’s role as state health director threw her into the statewide, and even national, spotlight for a time.
She gained praise from many for how she combined expertise with a comforting demeanor, reassuring residents huddled at home in fear of the deadly virus.
Acton also had her critics. She wielded broad emergency powers during the pandemic to sweeping effect. Among her actions were halting the state’s presidential primary, closing down Ohio’s gyms and fitness centers and imposing stay-at-home orders as she and DeWine worked to prevent COVID’s spread.
She resigned the job after a grueling period of public exposure, demonstrations, lawsuits and personal attacks, but never lost her interest in public service. Acton briefly considered a run for U.S. Senate in 2021.
Republicans already positioning to run for governor in two years, when DeWine must leave office due to term limits, include Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Attorney General Dave Yost.
veryGood! (95)
Related
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- 13-year-old boy drowned in Las Vegas floodwaters caused by heavy rain
- Why Chase Chrisley Says He'll Never Get Back Together With Ex Emmy Medders After Breakup
- As sports betting spikes, help for problem gamblers expands in some states
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- The 30 Most-Loved Fall Favorites From Amazon With Thousands of 5-Star Reviews: Clothes, Decor, and More
- Rent control laws on the national level? Biden administration offers a not-so-subtle push
- Best back-to-school tech: Does your kid need a laptop? Can they use AI?
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- California lawmakers vote to become first state to ban caste-based discrimination
Ranking
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Delaware man who police blocked from warning drivers of speed trap wins $50,000 judgment
- Price Is Right Host Bob Barker’s Cause of Death Revealed
- Breanna Stewart sets WNBA single-season scoring record, Liberty edge Wings
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Police narrow search for dangerous and 'desperate' prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante
- Boy, 14, dies after leaping into Lake Michigan in Indiana despite being warned against doing so
- Wait times to exit Burning Man drop after flooding left tens of thousands stranded in Nevada desert
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Naomi Campbell Just Dropped a Surprisingly Affordable Clothing Collection With $20 Pieces
In 'The Fraud,' Zadie Smith seeks to 'do absolute justice to the truth'
'A time capsule': 156-year-old sunken ship found in pristine condition in Lake Michigan
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Disney seeks to amend lawsuit against DeSantis to focus on free speech claim
61 indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges connected to ‘Stop Cop City’ movement
Google Turns 25