Amy Acton

Amy Acton
Acton in 2025
Governor-elect of Ohio
Assuming office
January 11, 2027
[[Lieutenant Governor-elect of Ohio|Lieutenant]]David Pepper (elect)
SucceedingMike DeWine
Director of the Ohio Department of Health
In office
February 26, 2019 – June 11, 2020
GovernorMike DeWine
Preceded byLance Himes
Succeeded byLance Himes (acting)
Personal details
Born
Amy Leigh Stearns

(1966-02-16) February 16, 1966 (age 60)
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
  • Douglas Beech
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1989; div. 2008)​
  • Eric Acton
    ​
    (m. 2010)​
Children3
EducationYoungstown State University (BS)
Northeast Ohio Medical University (MD)
Ohio State University (MPH)
WebsiteCampaign website

Amy Leigh Acton (née Stearns, formerly Beech; born February 16, 1966) is an American physician, researcher and politician who is the governor-elect of Ohio. Acton was the director of the Ohio Department of Health and led the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She worked at the Columbus Foundation before announcing her candidacy for governor. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Amy Leigh Stearns grew up in the north side of Youngstown, Ohio. After her parents got a divorce, Acton said she was homeless for a bit and went through abuse.

She earned her bachelor's degree at Youngstown State University. She received her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in 1990. She earned a master's in public health from Ohio State University. She trained at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Nationwide Children's Hospital.

2026 Ohio gubernatorial campaign

In the summer of 2024, Acton went to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she first talked about wanting to run for governor of Ohio. On January 7, 2025, she announced her candidacy in the 2026 gubernatorial election.

By the end of 2025, Acton had raised over $5.3 million for her campaign. In January 2026, Acton chose David Pepper as her running mate. Since no one ran against her for the Democratic nomination, in May 2026, she became the Democratic nominee to run against Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in the general election.

In November 2026, Acton would beat Ramaswamy, becoming Ohio's first elected female and first Jewish governor.

Personal life

In 1989, Amy married Douglas Beech. They had three children. The couple divorced in 2008. In 2010, she married Eric Acton.

Acton lives with her family in Bexley, Ohio. She is Jewish.

Notes

  1. ↑ Nancy Hollister served as governor, albeit for only 11 days, following George Voinovich's resignation to take his seat in the U.S. Senate.

References

  1. ↑ "Amy Acton". Democrats Work for America. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  2. ↑ Ohio, Madison MacArthur. "Democratic candidate Amy Acton wins primary election". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Evans, Nick (May 6, 2026). "Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy advance in Ohio election for governor • Ohio Capital Journal". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  4. ↑ Zuckerman, Jake (March 22, 2020). "Health dept. issues stay-at-home order; Ohioans to shelter in place through at least April 6". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Gordon, Ken (March 13, 2020). "Amy Acton is calming leader in coronavirus crisis". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 22, 2023 – via cincinnati.com.
  6. ↑ Ellis, Ralph (April 10, 2020). "Dr. Amy Acton, the Ohio Department of Health director, overcame a childhood in poverty to lead the state's battle against coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  7. ↑ Miller, Jessica (March 20, 2020). "Who is Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton?". WKYC. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  8. ↑ Boney, Stan (April 9, 2020). "Dr. Acton says she's an 'ordinary person in an extraordinary moment'". NBC4 WCMH-TV. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Amy Stearns Acton to lead Ohio Dept. of Health | The Pulse | Northeast Ohio Medical University". thepulse.neomed.edu. March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Amy Acton, former health director, to run for Ohio governor as Democrat". The Statehouse News Bureau. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Dr. Amy Acton, who helped lead Ohio's early pandemic response, joins 2026 governor's race". AP News. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  12. ↑ Tobias, Andrew (January 30, 2026). "Amy Acton fundraising surges as Democratic rivals exit". Signal Ohio. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ Mueller, Julia (January 7, 2026). "Ramaswamy, Acton pick running mates in Ohio governor race". The Hill. p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ohio Governor Primary Election 2026 Live Results". NBC News. May 5, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Democrat Amy Acton is Ohio's next governor, according to unofficial election results". News 5 Cleveland. November 3, 2026. Retrieved November 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ "GERALD STEARNS Obituary (1938 - 2015) - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Review-Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ Rowland, Darrel. "Fact check: Ex-Ohio health director Amy Acton has no ties to abortion charities, clinic". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Exclusive | Put me in, coach! Ohio Dem candidate's sprint to marry her son's cross country coach five months after his divorce". March 28, 2026. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ Kaufman, Jane (April 10, 2020). "Dr. Amy Acton says virtual seder was 'healing' in a time of COVID-19". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved April 21, 2020.

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