Amy Acton, the physician who served as director of the Ohio Department of Health in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat in hopes of succeeding her former boss, Gov. Mike DeWine (R).
Although the Republican governor has attempted to shield his former underling from blame over her efforts to curtail basic liberties during the pandemic in the name of public health, critics appear unwilling to forgive or forget, especially with the election shaping up to be a close race.
‘Amy Acton shut down our society.’
The Ohio Republican Party, for example, recalled on Tuesday that Acton “installed an order during COVID to lock down nursing homes,” adding that “visits were deemed permissible for loved ones and patients based on whether or not they were ‘grieving.’ Truly sickening.”
The state GOP noted in a previous post that Acton — who has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and the Ohio Federation of Teachers — also saw to the closure of bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters, playgrounds, museums, libraries, fitness centers, and small businesses.
“She deemed her allies ‘essential’ — and left the rest to fend for themselves,” said the Ohio GOP.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, with whom Acton is poised to face off in November’s general election, has dubbed her “Dr. Lockdown” and blasted the Democrat for her role in closing Ohio public schools — which she insisted in an interview last year was necessary — and businesses.
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Hours before Ohioans were supposed to begin casting ballots in the state’s March 2020 presidential primary, Acton ordered the closure of the polling locations. On the day of the punted vote, she ordered the closure of all Ohio bars and restaurants.
Days later, Acton issued a stay-at-home order, forbidding virtually all public and private gatherings occurring outside a single household; closing all “places of public amusement” including playgrounds; and prohibiting Ohioans from leaving their homes except for “Essential Activities, Essential Governmental Functions, or to participate in Essential Businesses and Operations.”
Acton’s actions prompted state lawmakers to introduce multiple bills aimed at reining in her power.
In the face of immense backlash and possible curbs on her authority, she resigned in June 2020.
“Amy Acton shut down our society,” Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R) tweeted on Thursday. “Then she walked away when Ohioans pleaded for help in getting back to normal. She quit on Ohio once and we won’t give her a chance to do it again.”
Acton’s campaign declined a request for comment from Blaze News about Republicans’ recent criticism.
A Quantus Insights survey conducted last week found that 45.9% of respondents signaled support for Acton, 44.9% signaled support for Ramaswamy, nearly 6% said they were undecided, and 3.3% signaled support for some other candidate.
According to the survey, a plurality of respondents placed the economy, inflation, and the cost of living as the most important issues facing the state.
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