The long shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic creeps into the race for Ohio governor
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democrat Dr. ran unopposed in his party’s Ohio gubernatorial primary. Amy Acton faces some serious challenges in the upcoming general election.
He is trying to become the first Democrat to take office in 20 years in a Republican-dominated state. His supposed rival, Republican Vivek RamaswamyHe is a nationally known name and has a personal fortune that he poured into his campaign.
But Acton’s toughest obstacle may be a ghost from his recent past: Covid-19 pandemic.
Acton, a physician, was Ohio’s public health director when the coronavirus hit the United States in early 2020, causing a wave of deaths, anxiety and social disruption. As the government took aggressive steps to combat it, Acton became a household name throughout Ohio.
Orders signed by Acton six years later At the insistence of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine closing schools, closing businesses, restricting sporting events and suspend voting It’s gaining new attention in the 2020 primaries. while running for the state’s top office. and has become Republicans’ central line of criticism.
During campaign rallies, Ramaswamy accused Acton of spreading dangerous “COVID ideology.” His campaign said he didn’t think voters would buy it.
“Dr. Acton is proud of his work alongside Governor DeWine to put public health ahead of politics, save lives and keep Ohioans safe,” campaign spokeswoman Addie Bullock said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that Vivek Ramaswamy wants to play politics on this issue.”
Choosing ‘freedom’ or ‘isolation’
Wearing a white medical coat, Acton was a fixture at daily COVID-19 briefings with DeWine, highly anticipated events watched in homes across the state. Every day he calmly explained trajectory of the virusthe relentless march of hospitalizations and deaths and offered reassuring clues about how Ohioans should handle themselves.
“Ohio, put on your mask, put on your cape,” Acton said at the time, asking ordinary people to act like superheroes.
In Ohio and elsewhere, the social trauma of the pandemic has yet to fully heal. It has changed how millions of people in the United States view vaccines, how deeply the government should intervene in daily life, and even whether people can trust government health officials.
The superficial skepticism that persists even as concerns about contracting the virus subside has emerged as an unusual story in the governor’s race.
Leading Republican Ramaswamy is taking advantage of the ongoing anger in the country to run ads. election order Acton’s release for DeWine. Mentioning Acton’s name at Republican events around the state draws loud boos.
“Do we choose freedom or do we choose Fauci?” Zac Haines, a Republican campaigning for the state Senate, asked the question, referencing former national infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, as the candidate warmed up a crowd at a Ramaswamy fundraiser recently. “Do we choose freedom or do we choose isolation?”
Hero to some, traitor to others
Acton has been appearing at Democratic events in 2020 with her own yard signs, a bobblehead doll, and a bid to honor him with a public holiday to honor Dr. She has the vibe of the cult hero that inspired the Amy Acton Fan Club.
While campaigning this year, he appears cautious when discussing his time as Ohio’s health chief, sometimes avoiding using the words COVID-19 or coronavirus.
“I had the honor, the privilege, the privilege to serve at a very difficult moment,” he told a Democratic crowd in southwestern Ohio in March. “I’m proud of Ohioans because together we flattened this curve, saving so many lives.”
Ohio ranked 22nd among states in virus-related deaths per capita during the first year of the pandemic, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Who is Acton? left job He does not dwell on what happened after the government imposed restrictions halfway through 2020: Rebellion against DeWine business closures and health measures, Republicans’ legislation limiting the governor’s powers, and protesters, some armed, outside his home.
At a recent Forum of States symposium in Columbus, people from across the political spectrum were brought together to try to find common ground. “Make America Healthy Again” movementActon said he worked for or advised five different governors.
“So I will work with anyone who wants to solve problems rather than create them,” he said, “which is what Ohioans are longing for.”
While DeWine supported Ramaswamy, he condemned the campaign’s ad against Acton for suspending the 2020 primary.
“I told him to get the health order,” he said. “The decision was mine.”
Ramaswamy is running from his own pandemic ghosts
Ramaswamy and another prominent Republican running in this year’s midterm elections have their own ties to Ohio’s pandemic response.
Ramaswamy “worked with the lieutenant governor as an advisor on COVID-19,” he wrote in 2020 as CEO of Roivant Sciences, a biotechnology research company he founded in 2014. A column dated 2021. Then-lieutenant governor Jon Husted, a Republican, is now a U.S. senator running for re-election and was a regular participant in Ohio’s daily virus briefings along with Acton and DeWine.
Genevrent Sciences, a subsidiary of Roivant, also played a “fundamental role”, according to one. March press release. In the statement, it was announced that a $2.2 billion agreement was reached with Moderna due to the unauthorized use of Genevrent and Arbutus Biopharma’s patents in COVID vaccines.
Ramaswamy, whose husband is a doctor, supported vaccines during the pandemic period. He bought a mask himself and advocated wearing masks, but said he never supported governments making them mandatory either.
One of Ramaswamy’s companies, Datavant, even pushed for a national COVID registry that would be used to allow a small portion of the population that gradually gains natural COVID-19 immunity to “return to normal life” while the rest continue to “split out.”
But since he entered politics 2024 presidential raceRamaswamy took steps to move away from those days. In early 2023, Roivant left the board and the reference to his service on Ohio’s “COVID-19 Response Team” was removed from his Wikipedia page. He described it as a simple fix, saying the panel never met.
His campaign referred questions to the company about his time at Roivant, and the company did not respond to an email seeking comment.
In an interview, Ramaswamy said both his support for the COVID registry and his discussions with Husted included “revitalizing the economy.” While he called his position on the virus “nuanced,” he said he plans to hold Acton accountable for her decisions to close Ohio businesses and schools and eventually suspend voting in the 2020 primary election, which was conducted by mail-in voting.
“As a decision maker, you need to weigh the costs and benefits of your actions,” he said. “You can’t disconnect from the data.”
