Amy Acton

Amy Leigh Acton (née Stearns, formerly Beech; born February 16, 1966) is an American physician and researcher who is the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Acton served as the director of the Ohio Department of Health, in which capacity she led Ohio's COVID-19 pandemic response from 2019 to 2020. Before and immediately after serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health, she worked at the Columbus Foundation. She left the foundation upon announcing her candidacy in the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election.

Early life and education Amy Leigh Stearns grew up in the north side of Youngstown, Ohio. She has said that after her parents divorced, she experienced neglect, abuse, and periods of homelessness. By 7th grade, she moved in with her father, found more stability, and at Liberty High School, she was named to the National Honor Society.

She earned her bachelor's degree at Youngstown State University after paying her way through college and received her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 1990. She completed residencies in pediatrics and preventive medicine, earned a master's in public health from Ohio State University, She worked at the Columbus Foundation as a grants manager and was director of Project LOVE (Love Our kids, Vaccinate Early).

Ohio Department of Health director (2019–2020)

Acton with military dentist and U.S. Air National Guard Lt. Col. Timothy Stuhlmiller in 2019

In February 2019, Ohio governor Mike DeWine made Acton his final cabinet pick as director of the Department of Health. Acton was the first woman in the post. The two previous incumbents were a lawyer and a marketing director; DeWine mentioned wanting to "rethink how we approach this department".

In 2020, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Acton advised DeWine, who became the first U.S. governor to close schools and limit gatherings to 100 people. Acton soon estimated that Ohio's then 5 confirmed cases likely translated to 100,000 actual cases, making national news. In mid-March, she predicted cases could peak in late April to mid-May.

On March 12, Acton said of the pandemic, "This will be the thing this generation remembers." Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes called her "the real MVP of Ohio's coronavirus response." It was later determined that the election would be conducted entirely by mail-in absentee ballot for those who had not participated in early voting. In April 2020, CNN called her "the Buckeye state's version of the straight-talking Dr. Anthony Fauci". The state appealed the decision, but Acton had signed an order permitting gyms to reopen in the interim, and a court of appeals later dismissed the case as moot.

Beginning in May 2020, protesters began showing up at Acton's home in Columbus and at press conferences. Acton was assigned a security detail.

On May 20, 2020, the Ohio Senate unanimously voted against a proposal advanced by state House Republicans (and approved by the House on a nearly party-line vote) that would have limited the power of DeWine and Acton by restricting Ohio Department of Health orders to 14 days and requiring any extensions to be approved by a state joint legislative committee. After Republican state legislators and then-Speaker of the House Larry Householder introduced bills that she believed would violate her Hippocratic Oath, Acton resigned on June 11, and became a chief health advisor for DeWine's administration. She has said that her resignation had nothing to do with protesters or the controversy over her and DeWine's stay-at-home orders. Lance Himes succeeded her as interim director.

Due to her work as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health, she received a Profile in Courage Award from Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg. The New York Times called her "The Leader We Wish We All Had".

Nonprofit sector work After her resignation, she resumed working for the Columbus Foundation. On February 4, 2021, Acton stepped down from the Columbus Foundation as she considered a run for the Senate in 2022 to succeed Rob Portman. In April 2021, she chose not to run and thanked Ohioans for an "outpouring of support".

In 2022, Acton was named president and chief executive officer of RAPID 5, a nonprofit organization that attempts to improve access to parks in Franklin County, part of the greater Columbus area. She left this position in May 2023.

2026 Ohio gubernatorial campaign

In the summer of 2024, Acton attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she first expressed interest in running for governor of Ohio. On January 7, 2025, she announced her candidacy in the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election, filing paperwork earlier that day. She is running as a Democrat. In January 2026, Acton chose David Pepper as her running mate. In February, she addressed the affordability of everyday life, specifically healthcare, saying it is "the rising cost of health care that is really putting people over the edge" and citing a reported 20% decline in Marketplace enrollment in Ohio.

Acton was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faces Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy in the general election.

In June 2026, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld state laws barring transgender girls from girls' sports, Acton told The Toledo Blade that she did "not support boys playing in girls sports", calling the issue settled law in Ohio and saying she would rather focus on affordability. The statement drew criticism from the Ohio Democratic Progressive Caucus and the non-profit Equality Ohio. In July 2026, Acton added language to her campaign platform committing to equal protection for LGBT!+ Ohioans and anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation.

In August 2026, Acton announced her support for Issue 3, a ballot measure that would add Ohio's existing photo voter identification requirement to the state constitution, breaking with most elected Democrats in Ohio. Acton said, "As this doesn't change what is already law, as governor, I will support it", while pledging to ensure all eligible voters could obtain the required identification easily and at no cost. Her position aligned with that of Ramaswamy, who had endorsed the amendment in May.

Awards and honors 2015: Excellence in Teaching Award, The Ohio State University College of Public Health 2021: Profile in Courage Award, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum 2022: Ohio Honoree, USA Todays Women of the Year

Personal life In 1989, Amy married Douglas Beech, with whom she had three children. The couple divorced in 2008.

In 2010, she married Eric Acton, a middle-school teacher and track coach, who had three children from a previous marriage. Together, they have a blended family of six children.