Amy Acton

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

• Campaigns on the message "Ohio, let's give power back to the people" and says she refuses "to look away from Ohioans who are struggling."[1],[2]
• Says her No. 1 priority as governor is to make Ohio a more affordable place to live.[13]
• Says she will "take on the corruption that's raising our costs, cut taxes for the middle class, and work with both parties to solve problems."[3]
• Proposes day-one executive orders creating an anti-corruption task force, limits on appointees with ties to regulated industries, donor disclosure for state contractors, and a public procurement database.[4]
• Describes herself as a "doctor, advocate, and problem-solver" who grew up in Youngstown under difficult circumstances.[1]

Background

• Vice President, Human:Kind, The Columbus Foundation · Until 2025 campaign launch[5],[6]
• President and CEO, RAPID 5 (central Ohio parks and waterways nonprofit) · 2022–2023[6],[3]
• Director, Kind Columbus initiative, The Columbus Foundation · 2020–2021[7],[6]
• Chief Health Advisor, Office of Gov. Mike DeWine · 2020[7]
• Director (appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine), Ohio Department of Health · 2019–2020[3],[2]
• Assistant professor of practice, College of Public Health (taught at OSU on and off for 17 years), The Ohio State University · 2012–2016[7]
• Community research and grants management officer, The Columbus Foundation[5]
• Director, Project L.O.V.E. (Love Our Kids, Vaccinate Early), Columbus[5],[3]

Education

• B.S., Youngstown State University[6]
• M.D., Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, now Northeast Ohio Medical University (1990)[5],[6]
• M.P.H., The Ohio State University (1996)[5],[7]

Where they stand

• Taxes
  Proposes a "Working Families Tax Cut" that would expand the state earned income credit and create a state child tax credit of $1,000 a year per child ages 0–6 and $500 for ages 7–18, for families earning up to $85,000.[8]
• Housing
  Proposes raising the Homestead Exemption income limit for seniors to $50,000; a rebate of up to $1,000 when a homeowner's property tax bill rises more than 4% in a year (for incomes under $132,000 and homes valued at $350,000 or less); limits on sales of tax lien certificates to private collectors; and fully funding the Fair School Funding Plan to ease pressure on local levies.[9],[14]
• Health Care
  Proposes "Ohio Rx," an online platform using the state's Medicaid purchasing power to lower drug prices, and says she would direct the state to relieve medical debt. Says she will protect Medicaid and Medicare from cuts; has said she supports a work requirement for Medicaid enrollment and a broader scope of practice for non-physician providers.[10],[11]
• Education
  Supports fully implementing the Fair School Funding Plan, overhauling the state's private-school voucher program ("Public money should be for public schools"), and free breakfast and lunch in public schools.[12]
• Energy & Environment
  Supports a conditional moratorium on data centers until they cover 100% of their utility costs, fund their own power generation, use union labor, end nondisclosure agreements, and build on previously developed industrial land. Would appoint utility regulators who "put ratepayers first." Opposes fracking beneath state parks and wildlife areas and proposes a three-year moratorium on new fracking-wastewater injection wells in Washington County.[15],[16],[17]
• Abortion
  Supports protecting access to abortion, contraception, fertility treatments and miscarriage care, and says she would "fight back at attempts to undermine Issue 1," the 2023 reproductive rights amendment.[18]
• Immigration
  Says the state will "always work with the federal law enforcement," including immigration officers, and would not bar local police from assisting immigration enforcement, while expecting federal agents to follow the law.[19]
• Public Safety
  Pledges to fully fund local law enforcement and invest in addiction treatment and mental health services. Supports expanded background checks and a "red-flag" law. Her campaign says she would push for guardrails on AI surveillance technology such as Flock cameras.[20],[21],[19]

Voting record

Amy Acton has not held an office with a recorded voting record. See Background and Where they stand.

In their words