Dr. Amy Acton, who rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as the state’s health director, is seeking to become the state’s next governor.

Acton, a Democrat, said Tuesday: “I’m running for governor because I refuse to look the other way while politicians and special interests keep moving us backwards in the state. The state’s going in the wrong direction and I feel very strongly that it’s time for a change. Today is the beginning of a journey over the next two years with Ohioans.”

Acton emphasized a number of times during a Tuesday interview that she is not a politician and is a public servant, doctor and problem solver. The gubernatorial race is next year. She filed paperwork to establish a campaign committee Tuesday.

Acton, who was born and raised on Youngstown’s North Side, was appointed director of the Ohio Department of Health by Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, in February 2019. She became well known throughout Ohio during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, joining DeWine for daily news conferences. She resigned June 11, 2020, as health director, becoming DeWine’s chief health adviser, a position she left two months later.

“It was an honor of a lifetime to serve with the governor, but my whole life, my whole career has been about being a public servant and a doctor working on some of the hardest problems our communities face and that people face,” Acton said. “One of the things that came out of COVID and my time during that crisis was I really bonded with the people of Ohio in a way that is very, very rare. You don’t go through something like we did and not just care deeply, fall in love, when you want to save the lives of 11.7 million people. It just changes you.”

Acton, who has traveled around the state for the past couple of years speaking about her experiences, said wherever she goes in Ohio, people come up to her.

“Oftentimes, they share with me their struggles and their ideas for how they wish things could be better,” Acton said.

She added: “Unlike a lot of the leaders in the Statehouse right now, I really believe the answer to moving the state forward isn’t giving the politicians and special interests more power. It’s about giving people in communities freedom again. When I say freedom, I’m talking about the way that people, families, neighborhoods and communities come together to face the hard things, but also build the Ohio that we want to live in. I’m running for governor because I’m not looking the other way. By every measure, we continue to go in the wrong direction. We all know it’s time for a change.”

A Democrat hasn’t won a statewide executive branch office since 2008 with Republicans dominating the state. In the November election, Acton campaigned for three Democratic Ohio Supreme Court candidates, including two incumbents. All three lost.

Also, Republican Bernie Moreno, running for office for the first time, beat Democrat Sherrod Brown, an 18-year U.S. Senate incumbent who Acton backed, and Donald Trump won Ohio for the third consecutive presidential election.

Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, is planning to run for governor in 2026 with Treasurer Robert Sprague strongly considering it. Also, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is deciding between getting appointed to the Senate to succeed J.D. Vance, the vice president-elect, or running for governor. There is talk that Vivek Ramaswamy, who will run Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk, will seek the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Asked how she could overcome the state’s Republican dominance, Acton said, “People of all parties come up to me and share the things they’re struggling with. When people talk about their problems, we know problems themselves aren’t Democrat or Republican. Good ideas aren’t Democrat or Republican. People say they’re tired of people putting culture warfare and partisanship first.”

Acton said, “People want to hear from leaders who put their problems ahead of politics and that’s why I’m running for governor. They want to hear from people who are problem solvers. Everywhere I go, people are asking for the kind of leadership they saw me do day-to-day.”

Acton said during the pandemic, people saw her work with a Republican governor and “put partisanship aside and get us through one of our toughest times.”

“People are tired of the vitriol and the hate,” she said. “They want to see people talk about the things we hold dear, talk about common values and talk about ways to move us forward.”

Acton said she’s not a political pundit, but “I do know Ohioans and I do know they’re ready for a change.”

Acton grew up on Youngstown’s North Side, saying, “I had a pretty tough childhood. I know what it’s like to be hungry. I know what it’s like to be homeless. But mostly, I know what it’s like to feel invisible. I remember the people who would see some of the things I was going through and it was hard to see. They looked the other way. But more than that, I remember the people who didn’t.”

But Acton graduated from Liberty High School in 1984, attended Youngstown State University and received her medical degree in 1990 from Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Acton said her time in the Mahoning Valley shaped her.

“When I think of the Valley, I think of people who are hardworking, who have grit and stamina and are independent thinkers,” she said. “I’m really proud of where I come from.”