Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton brought Ohio’s statewide Democratic ticket home to the Mahoning Valley on Tuesday evening, speaking to supporters at Liberty High School in Liberty Township — the school she graduated from in 1984 — a week before the Nov. 3 election, The Business Journal reported. Acton, who served as Ohio Department of Health director under Gov. Mike DeWine during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, told the crowd it is time for change in Ohio, according to The Business Journal’s account of the event.
“Youngstown has been my story this entire campaign,” Acton said, in remarks quoted by The Business Journal. “Everything I am comes from this community.” Acton, who described herself to supporters as a “scrappy kid from Youngstown,” said she is running for governor because people are struggling even though they are working harder than ever, and she called for a working-class tax cut, full funding for Ohio’s public schools, more affordable child care and help for the elderly to age with dignity, The Business Journal reported.
Acton also attacked her Republican opponent, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, warning supporters he would “put the wants of billionaires over the needs of the rest of us” if elected, according to The Business Journal. She described a recent ad by Ramaswamy’s campaign featuring her mother as a “desperate, desperate attempt” to divert attention from his campaign, and said, in remarks quoted by The Business Journal, “compassion and decency still matter.” The ad has drawn widespread condemnation, including from DeWine, though President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended its use, The Business Journal reported.
Her running mate, David Pepper, told the crowd Ramaswamy “showed this state and this country that there is no floor when you have no moral compass,” and described Acton as “a lifelong public servant,” in remarks reported by The Business Journal. Polling in the race remains tight: The Business Journal reported the most recent Real Clear Politics average showed Acton ahead by 4.4 points, while an Echelon Insights poll released Tuesday by NetChoice showed Ramaswamy leading 47% to 45%, within the margin of error, with Libertarian Don Kissick at 4%.
Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Jon Husted in the special election for the seat Husted was appointed to when Vance became vice president, also spoke at the Liberty event. “In cities, in suburbs, in small towns, in farm country, people are showing up like never before,” Brown said, in remarks quoted by The Business Journal. “They’re frustrated. They’re angry. They demand change.” Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner and state auditor candidate Annette Blackwell also appeared, The Business Journal reported.
Supporters interviewed by The Business Journal said they left the event confident about the statewide ticket’s chances in a state that has shifted toward Republicans over the past decade, including in the Mahoning Valley, long a Democratic stronghold. “I’m feeling not just hopeful. I feel like we probably are really getting ready to see a change in the state,” Jaladah Aslam, vice chairperson of the Youngstown Community Mobilization Coalition, told The Business Journal.
Early voting in the Nov. 3 election runs through Sunday, Nov. 1 at county boards of elections across Ohio, with polls open on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The governor’s race tops a statewide ballot that also includes attorney general, auditor, secretary of state, treasurer, two Supreme Court seats and the U.S. Senate contest between Brown and Husted.
Photo: Daysleeper47, CC BY