Amy Acton tells Labor Day picnic: ‘My last election was in high school’

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton is making headlines for the wrong reason.

During a campaign appearance at a Labor Day picnic in Hamilton, alongside former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, an animated Acton appeared to be shouting at the audience, insisting that the state could not be bought.

“You cannot buy Ohio,” Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, insisted during her remarks, trying to paint her Republican challenger, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, as disconnected from the Buckeye State.

“Look, I’m a doctor. I’m not a politician; I am becoming one right in front of your eyes,” Acton said, according to videos published online and on social media.

“My last election was in high school. Okay,” Acton added. “I did win, so we’re one for one in elected office. We’re on a winning streak.”

Checking in on the Amy Acton campaign, is she ok? pic.twitter.com/2A3jnrLpnr

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 5, 2026

Video from the event quickly went viral on social media. The reaction drew widespread criticism, as Acton sounded as though she were shouting for much of her speech.

LMAO! Vivek Ramaswamy’s opponent Amy Acton is going around doing campaign events in Ohio while TOTALLY sh*tfaced

Is Kamala Harris her consultant or something? 🤣

I have second-hand embarrassment from this 😆 pic.twitter.com/kyrCIx7QAS

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 6, 2026

The race looks to be tight, and most polls and political pundits rate the race as a toss-up. Acton was already under pressure after refusing to debate Ramaswamy.

The Ramaswamy campaign said it had received and accepted invitations to debate Acton from CNN and WLWT-TV, an NBC News affiliate in Cincinnati. WLWT plans to stream the debate on WLWT.com and Very Local, its streaming platform, and to make it available to all Ohio media outlets.

Acton, however, declined, with the campaign releasing a statement that hurled insults at Ramaswamy. The decision has drawn widespread criticism, including from the mainstream media that has thus far generally provided favorable coverage of her campaign.

Today’s Toledo Blade editorial regarding @amyactonoh’s disastrous decision to decline debating ought to be read by every Ohioan.

“Dr. Acton raises serious doubt about her ability to not only handle the pressure of those big decisions but also to use the bully pulpit of her…

— Ohio Republican Party (@ohiogop) September 6, 2026

The debate refusal follows headlines about two police call-outs to Acton’s house — one in 2013 and one in 2019. The campaign hasn’t responded to questions from Ohio.News about the two police interactions.

In case anyone was planning on sitting out the Ohio midterm elections, a quick watch of unhinged Democrat nominee for Governor Amy Acton performing her best histrionic Hillary Clinton rant shows what awaits Ohioans.

Is this a person fit for Governor of Ohio? https://t.co/9QIyEe9fKu

— Marcell Strbich (@marcellstrbich) September 6, 2026