Democrat
Amy Acton and David Pepper
Background and Bio
Dr. Amy Acton grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and she earned a Bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University, a medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), and a Master’s in Public Health from The Ohio State University. After residencies in pediatrics and preventive medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, she served as the Director of Project L.O.V.E. in Columbus and as a faculty member at Ohio State University. In 2019, Governor Mike DeWine appointed her Director of the Ohio Department of Health, where she led the state's early COVID-19 response and helped negotiate an opioid settlement. She later co-founded the Center for Human Kindness and helped launch Rapid 5, a regional parks and waterways initiative. Acton lives in Bexley with her husband, Eric, a public school teacher. The couple has six children.
Her running mate, David Pepper, a Cincinnati native, earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Yale University. He began his career as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and later worked in private practice, while teaching election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He served on the Cincinnati City Council and as a Hamilton County Commissioner, and later chaired the Ohio Democratic Party. Pepper is the author of several books. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Alana, and their two sons.
Her running mate, David Pepper, a Cincinnati native, earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Yale University. He began his career as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and later worked in private practice, while teaching election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He served on the Cincinnati City Council and as a Hamilton County Commissioner, and later chaired the Ohio Democratic Party. Pepper is the author of several books. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Alana, and their two sons.
Policy Issue Summaries
- Education: Acton-Pepper campaign materials state their support for fully funding the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan, arguing that this will allow public school districts to rely less on local property taxes. She has been critical of the EdChoice voucher system, saying most of its funding goes to families already enrolled in private school, and supports more transparency and accountability for voucher-funded private schools.
- Healthcare: In campaign materials, Acton has criticized the loss of Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies as leaving Ohioans without coverage options and has called for lowering drug and healthcare costs generally. She has proposed directing the state to join Ohio cities that have already relieved medical debt for residents through debt-forgiveness programs, and says that Medicaid work requirements should include compliance pathways such as workforce training credit.
- Taxes: The Acton-Pepper campaign has proposed a property-tax relief plan for low- and middle-income homeowners and emphasizes that fully funding the state's contribution to public schools would reduce the pressure on local districts to raise property taxes. On income taxes, she has proposed a Working Families Tax Cut, which would create an Earned Income Credit and a child tax credit for households with children earning up to $85,000 annually, and has called for closing tax loopholes that benefit wealthy filers.
- Data Centers: According to the campaign, Acton supports a conditional moratorium on new data centers unless they cover 100% of utility costs, use union labor, operate with full transparency (ending non-disclosure agreements with local officials), meet Ohio environmental standards, sign community-benefit agreements, and are sited on former industrial land. The campaign has also called for reining in tax exemptions for data centers and adding clawback provisions for developments that do not deliver on their commitments.
- Abortion: Campaign materials and statements about abortion access focus on what Acton calls her support for "reproductive freedom." She has cited the 2023 reproductive health constitutional amendment as reflecting Ohioans' will. Acton has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and other organizations that support abortion access and reproductive health care. She has said that, as governor, she would protect access to contraception, IVF, and abortion care.
Endorsements
- Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters
- Ohio Education Association
- Ohio AFL-CIO
- Ohio Iron Workers Association
- Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
- Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council
- United Steelworkers District 1
- Western Reserve Building Trades Council
- Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council
- Dayton Building and Construction Trades Council
- United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)
- Ohio Nurses Association
- United Auto Workers (UAW)
- United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)
- International Union of Painters & Allied Trades District 6 (IUPAT)
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
- Communications Workers of America District 4
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 8
- Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA)
- Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4)
- Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT)
- Planned Parenthood of Advocates of Ohio
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- EMILY’s List
- Nurses for America
- The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP)
Background and Bio
Dr. Amy Acton grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and she earned a Bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University, a medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), and a Master’s in Public Health from The Ohio State University. After residencies in pediatrics and preventive medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, she served as the Director of Project L.O.V.E. in Columbus and as a faculty member at Ohio State University. In 2019, Governor Mike DeWine appointed her Director of the Ohio Department of Health, where she led the state's early COVID-19 response and helped negotiate an opioid settlement. She later co-founded the Center for Human Kindness and helped launch Rapid 5, a regional parks and waterways initiative. Acton lives in Bexley with her husband, Eric, a public school teacher. The couple has six children.
Her running mate, David Pepper, a Cincinnati native, earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Yale University. He began his career as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and later worked in private practice, while teaching election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He served on the Cincinnati City Council and as a Hamilton County Commissioner, and later chaired the Ohio Democratic Party. Pepper is the author of several books. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Alana, and their two sons.
Her running mate, David Pepper, a Cincinnati native, earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Yale University. He began his career as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and later worked in private practice, while teaching election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He served on the Cincinnati City Council and as a Hamilton County Commissioner, and later chaired the Ohio Democratic Party. Pepper is the author of several books. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Alana, and their two sons.
Policy Issue Summaries
- Education: Acton-Pepper campaign materials state their support for fully funding the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan, arguing that this will allow public school districts to rely less on local property taxes. She has been critical of the EdChoice voucher system, saying most of its funding goes to families already enrolled in private school, and supports more transparency and accountability for voucher-funded private schools.
- Healthcare: In campaign materials, Acton has criticized the loss of Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies as leaving Ohioans without coverage options and has called for lowering drug and healthcare costs generally. She has proposed directing the state to join Ohio cities that have already relieved medical debt for residents through debt-forgiveness programs, and says that Medicaid work requirements should include compliance pathways such as workforce training credit.
- Taxes: The Acton-Pepper campaign has proposed a property-tax relief plan for low- and middle-income homeowners and emphasizes that fully funding the state's contribution to public schools would reduce the pressure on local districts to raise property taxes. On income taxes, she has proposed a Working Families Tax Cut, which would create an Earned Income Credit and a child tax credit for households with children earning up to $85,000 annually, and has called for closing tax loopholes that benefit wealthy filers.
- Data Centers: According to the campaign, Acton supports a conditional moratorium on new data centers unless they cover 100% of utility costs, use union labor, operate with full transparency (ending non-disclosure agreements with local officials), meet Ohio environmental standards, sign community-benefit agreements, and are sited on former industrial land. The campaign has also called for reining in tax exemptions for data centers and adding clawback provisions for developments that do not deliver on their commitments.
- Abortion: Campaign materials and statements about abortion access focus on what Acton calls her support for "reproductive freedom." She has cited the 2023 reproductive health constitutional amendment as reflecting Ohioans' will. Acton has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and other organizations that support abortion access and reproductive health care. She has said that, as governor, she would protect access to contraception, IVF, and abortion care.
Endorsements
- Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters
- Ohio Education Association
- Ohio AFL-CIO
- Ohio Iron Workers Association
- Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
- Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council
- United Steelworkers District 1
- Western Reserve Building Trades Council
- Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council
- Dayton Building and Construction Trades Council
- United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)
- Ohio Nurses Association
- United Auto Workers (UAW)
- United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)
- International Union of Painters & Allied Trades District 6 (IUPAT)
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
- Communications Workers of America District 4
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 8
- Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA)
- Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4)
- Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT)
- Planned Parenthood of Advocates of Ohio
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- EMILY’s List
- Nurses for America
- The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP)
Last Updated:2026-09-25
