Latest news with #AmyActon
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why it may be too late for Jim Tressel, Sherrod Brown to join governor's race
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The race for Ohio governor in 2026 is already well under way, more than a year before the election. 'This is really early for a governor's race to sort of start and almost end,' Republican strategist Matt Dole said. 'It's just been a combination of the party wanting to see the primary over earlier and a candidate coming in and using sort of a national name for himself.' Here's where things stand: On the Republican side, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is the frontrunner. Ramaswamy is endorsed by President Donald Trump and the Ohio GOP. He has raised $9.6 million already for his campaign. Small business owner Heather Hill is also vying for the Republican nomination. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague both were part of the Republican primary but ultimately dropped out at varying points. Former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton remains the only Democrat currently in the race. With only one major candidate on each side, both parties are waiting to see who else will jump in. Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel (R-Ohio) still will not say what his plans are. 'No news on this front,' Tressel said on Tuesday. Dole said Tressel's time to jump in has long passed and said it would have needed to happen before the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Ramaswamy. Ohio woman hopes BOOM! will help her win national music competition 'Jim Tressel can't get in the race at this point,' he said. 'Vivek Ramaswamy just announced $9.5 million raised in four and half months. Jim Tressel is a universally known name in the state of Ohio, but he still has to build a campaign, which he's never done, he's never been a candidate for office. And I think as the former head coach of Ohio State, he can read a scouting report and knows that it's probably past the opportunity.' 'Vivek Ramaswamy has done a pretty good job of rallying all the troops on his side, both in state and then of course with his support from Trump and the MAGA movement at large,' Democratic strategist Morgan Harper said. Harper agreed with Dole – that Tressel has the name ID on lock, but the timing may have gotten away from him. Democrats are waiting to see if people like former Senator Sherrod Brown or former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan throw their hats into the race. 'No denying that they would still have the ability to enter, but the clock is ticking for them too,' Harper said. 'For a Democrat to be competitive in the 2026 governor's race, they are going to have to raise a lot of money. And it's tough to raise money at any time for democrats at this point in Ohio, but particularly in an off-cycle race for an in-state election like governor.' Harper said for Democrats to be competitive in the 2026 race, they need to focus on grassroots efforts, 'to connect with people directly and really drive turnout.' She said they also need to have a strong message. 'Getting started on that early, really showing that you have a message that's going to change the trajectory for Ohio democrats that unfortunately we've been seeing a lot of losses over the last few cycles,' Harper said. 'That isn't going to happen overnight and so that's really the time pressure here is making sure that we have enough runway to raise the big sums that Vivek Ramaswamy has already shown. He has the personal resources and the MAGA movement behind him to generate a lot of resources.' And Dole said the next steps for Ramaswamy will be deciding on a running mate who will help him reach more Ohioans. 'I think his team is looking at the general election math, right, I think he sees that he has the primary election sown up. He's looking at general election math and if he sees an area, whether its geographically, whether its diversity. Whatever it is that he feels he needs to fill, he will do that,' Dole said. Not only will Ohio elect a new governor in 2026 but all executive branch office holders in Ohio are also term limited. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Vivek Ramaswamy opponent defends against attacks over her Covid-era policies
Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton joins Rising to discuss her run for Ohio governor as the sole Democratic candidate.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘It is time for a change.' Dr. Amy Acton talks about running for Ohio governor, reflects on COVID-19
Dr. Amy Acton, currently the only Democratic candidate running for Ohio Governor, spoke at the City Club of Cleveland on June 25. (Screenshot) During a recent forum, former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton emphasized her role as a public servant, not a politician, in her 2026 run for governor. Acton is currently the sole Democratic candidate running for Ohio Governor in the 2026 election. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I am a doctor. I'm definitely not a politician, but I have been a lifelong public servant,' Acton said last week during a forum at the City Club of Cleveland. 'I'm running for governor because people in Ohio are struggling, and we continue to go backwards on nearly every measure because of special interests and bad actors at our Statehouse who keep taking us in the wrong direction,' she said. 'It is time for a change, and I hear this everywhere I go.' Acton gave a 30 minute speech which included talking about experiencing homelessness as a child, serving as the ODH director during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio's need for change, and kindness. 'All too often, kindness is mistaken for weakness, and that is a big mistake,' she said. 'Everywhere I go, people are telling me that they want public servants again. They want us solving the problems of everyday life that we all face that aren't political.' Those problems, she said, include the cost of living, aging in place, child care, safety, and schools. She also spoke out against gerrymandering, lack of maternity units in hospitals, and cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. She also highlighted the importance of working together to tackle issues facing Ohioans. 'You get people from every sector around the table because the wicked hard things we face, like housing affordability, can't be solved by one area alone,' she said. 'It can't be solved by government alone. It takes non-profits and academics and universities and businesses all around the table trying to row in the same direction.' Acton, who is open about the struggles she experienced as a child, grew up in Youngstown. 'I had a very, very rough childhood, very bad abuse and neglect up to the age of 12 (and) ultimately ended up homeless in the middle of winter,' she said. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Acton to be ODH director in 2019 and she quickly became a household name in Ohio during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She accompanied DeWine during his daily afternoon press conferences in the spring of 2020 and helped translate complex medical terminology into plain English. 'It was a profound honor to lead during COVID,' she said. 'We literally flatten the curve. There's great data now that shows it, and Ohioans rallied in every possible way. We saved a lot of lives, but most importantly, we're also able to open earlier than a lot of places and get back to our lives because we took decisive action.' She received a mix of praise and criticism, and protesters showed up to her Bexley house. Acton resigned as state health director in June 2020 — months after Ohio's first confirmed COVID-19 case. She said she didn't step down because of the backlash she was receiving, but instead it was because she refused to sign an order. 'There was an order that was so egregious I could not do it … because it would have broken the Hippocratic Oath, it would have hurt people,' she said. 'I could not sign my name to that order.' Acton said she was originally approached to run for office by two prominent Ohio Democrats — former Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste and former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, 'because I have a very strange constituency that does not know party, a bond formed during COVID.' Democrats are waiting to see if Brown will run for Senate or Ohio governor, or nothing at all. Currently, gaming and technology businessman Chris Volpe, of Columbus, is the only announced Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026. The Ohio Republican Party endorsed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Morgan County school board president Heather Hill is the only other GOP candidate running for governor, but Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel previously said he is considering running. Current Republican Ohio Auditor Keith Faber is running for attorney general in 2026; current Republican Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state in 2026; and current Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor in 2026. Bryan Hambley, a cancer doctor with University of Cincinnati Health, is the only announced Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. Former state representative Elliot Forhan has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Ohio Attorney General. No Democrats have yet announced their candidacy in 2026 for Ohio auditor or treasurer. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Ohio graduate student says he'll make another bid for governor in 2026
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio State University master's student said Wednesday that he's making an independent bid for governor in 2026. This marks Timothy Grady's second go at the office. The 28-year-old who says he advocates 'new economic thinking' and systemic political change ran what he describes as a 'largely satirical' write-in campaign in 2022. He earned the endorsement of performance artist and activist Vermin Supreme and finishing fourth of six candidates with 574 votes. This time, he's entering a race that includes billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who is backed by Trump and the state Republican Party, Appalachian entrepreneur Heather Hill, and Democrat Amy Acton, a former state health director who led Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grady said in a news release that he is 'still not the candidate Ohioans deserve,' but, 'In the current field, I can confidently say I'm the best candidate for the job, because our toxic politics otherwise keeps good people out.' A native of northern Ohio's Richland County, Grady is working toward a master's of public administration at the university's John Glenn College of Public Affairs. He recently chaired and led a reorganization of the Ohio chapter of the Forward Party, a centrist political movement founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dr. Amy Acton making three Youngstown stops in Ohio tour
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)—On Wednesday, Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor Dr. Amy Acton will launch a four-day listening tour across the state. The goal is to listen to Ohioans to see how leaders can make communities stronger. She has five stops today, including three in the Valley. The first is a walking tour of Youngstown's 3rd Ward with Mayor Tito Brown, which starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Northside Pool. Then, there will be a roundtable with Youngstown teachers and union members at Choffin Career Center at 4 p.m. Her day wraps up with a Homecoming Pizza Party at 5:30 p.m. at the Westside Bowl. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
