The race for Ohio governor is starting to take shape with a crop of candidates jumping into the race ahead of 2026.

Lindsay McCoy spoke with former Ohio Department of Health Director and Valley native Dr. Amy Acton on 21 News at 5 about her candidacy, her work during the COVID-19 pandemic and her goals for Ohio.

The first topic that was discussed included the fact that Dr. Acton sees herself as a "problem solver" and wants to help Ohioans.

When asked about why she is running for governor, Dr. Acton said the following:

"Youngstown is such a huge part of my life and my origin story. I had a pretty scrappy childhood in Youngstown - so when I say what I'm saying next, it comes from a lot of life experience. I'm running for governor because I refuse to look the other way while Ohioans continue to struggle and our state keeps going in the wrong direction..."

Dr. Acton went on to speak on what Ohio resident concerns she has been hearing from around the state.

"... and everywhere I go around this state, folks are sharing with me both the fact that they wish to have a little bit more breathing room in their lives. That its costs - costs of eggs and gas, certainly. But they're talking a lot about childcare, they're talking about trying to age in place and not have their property taxes go too high. They're talking about safety, and they're talking about jobs and feeling a bit more breathing room."

The next topic discussed Dr. Acton's strategies and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic where Dr. Acton took steps to "flatten the curve" of cases in Ohio. Although she had been praised by some for her efforts, Dr. Acton did receive some criticisms from others regarding social distancing, shutdowns and masking.

When asked about any regrets, Dr. Acton said the following:

"Everyone always learns a lot from running a crisis... There's nobody that went unscathed during COVID, it was one of the hardest crises we've ever faced, at least in our adult lives. And I am so proud of Ohio - how it led, Ohioans flattened the curve, we were able to react quickly, gain control of the virus and then open much more quickly than a lot of others did. Certainly, there are always lessons that we would learn."

Lindsay McCoy then asked Dr. Acton about her step down from the position of Ohio Health Director.

Although she said that it was an honor and privilege to work with the governor, Dr. Acton says that there is a different reason for why she stepped down that didn't involve protests as thought by the media.

Dr. Acton says that her reason for stepping down involved pressure from the Speaker of the House to sign orders that "didn't fit the role of the Health Director - it wasn't science based, it was special interest based..." according to Dr. Acton during the interview. 

Dr. Acton went on to say in regards to this case that the Speaker of the House,"... wanted something that, quite frankly, would've endangered and possibly killed people, so I refused to sign that order. But, what I did promise the governor is that I would continue to advise him, which I did, and continued to do on health issues."

The last question discussed involved the fact that Ohio has been voting more red in recent voting records, and it has been two terms since a democrat was in office. 

Dr. Acton had the following to say:

"I can tell you that I wouldn't be out here running if I didn't see a path. We have some really great numbers that show there is a path in Ohio... We know that it works best when we gather people around the table to solve problems. We welcome people from all sides of the aisle because problems don't care if we are a Democrat or a Republican, they just need solved. And we need leaders who don't make problems - but actually solve problems."

You can watch the full interview with Dr. Acton in the video player above.