Amy Acton, Ohio

Amy Acton is a physician and the Democratic nominee for Governor of Ohio in 2026. She grew up in Youngstown in difficult circumstances — experiencing abuse, hunger, and periods of homelessness — before working her way through Youngstown State University and earning her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and a master's in Public Health from Ohio State. She served as Ohio's Director of Health under Republican Governor Mike DeWine, leading the state's early COVID-19 response and earning a JFK Profile in Courage Award and USA Today's Ohio Woman of the Year. She chose former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper as her running mate.