Now that Dr. Amy Acton, the controversial former state health director during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is running for governor as a Democrat, questions remain about her tenure leading the department.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Acton state health director in February 2019.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted told Ohio.news that he did not recommend Acton for the post.
“I was never for that,” Husted told Ohio.news.
“I didn’t think she did that good of a job. I really didn’t,” Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague told Ohio.news. “I think she let a lot of people in the state of Ohio down, and … a lot of the things that were done during COVID I think need to be looked at. And frankly, we weren’t prepared, and I think that’s on her.”
Acton’s campaign did not respond to a request from Ohio.news for comment.
Acton, who hopes to become Ohio's first Democratic governor in two decades, was a divisive figure.
Appearing beside the Republican governor for media briefings during the pandemic helped raise her visibility and make her a household name. While some lauded Acton for her efforts during the early days of the pandemic, she drew significant criticism from many Ohioans who regarded her actions as heavy-handed.
At one point, protestors congregated outside her Columbus-area house to express their frustration. Ohio lawmakers also filed legislation to reduce the ODH director’s power to issue orders. She resigned from her role in June 2020.
In 2008, Wired featured Acton, then named Amy Beech, in a story about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama’s online campaign. The article described Acton as “an Obama volunteer in the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Bexley.”
In 2020, a DeWine spokesman brushed off questions about Acton’s previous political leanings.
“Who one supported in the 2008 campaign did not come up in her interview with the governor,” USA Today quoted DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney as saying at the time. “It was not relevant.”
Additionally, and beyond her response to the pandemic, questions have persisted about Acton’s stance on abortion. A USA Today fact check downplayed her ties to abortion charities and a Dayton abortion clinic.
“I don’t have a stance on abortion, and I definitely am here to follow the law of the state of Ohio,” The Toledo Blade quoted Acton as saying in 2019.
Despite the lingering questions, the timing of Acton’s run may allow her to skirt the issue and deflect a firm stance on the topic.
Following the passage of Issue 1 in November 2023, abortion rights have been codified in the state’s constitution. Abortion is legal in the state up to the point of fetal viability.
At the time of her appointment, she was the highest-paid member of DeWine’s Cabinet, cashing in an annual salary of $230,000, according to a 2019 report from The Columbus Dispatch published in Governing.
Acton could face a crowded Democratic primary field. Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan are among the potential candidates whose names have been linked to a possible run.
On the Republican side, former Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and Husted are among the potential candidates. However, the Republican gubernatorial field could change depending on who DeWine picks to replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, a decision that could come as soon as this week.
According to a recent poll, LaRose topped a crowded field of possibilities to succeed Vance.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted says he didn't support the appointment of Dr. Amy Acton as state health director by Gov. DeWine. Acton, who mandated some of the harshest COVID lockdown policies, is now running for governor as a Democrat. pic.twitter.com/RkUm5Low8t
— Ohio.news (@RealOhioNews) January 14, 2025
