The long shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic creeps into the race for Ohio governor

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat running unopposed in her party’s primary for Ohio governor, faces some steep challenges in the coming general election. She is trying to be the first Democrat in 20 years to win the office in a state that has become dominated by Republicans. Her presumed opponent, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, has national name recognition and a personal fortune that he is plowing into his campaign. But Acton’s most formidable obstacle may be a ghost from her recent past: the 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 action to combat it, Acton became a household name throughout Ohio. Six years later, the orders Acton signed at the urging of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to battle the virus - closing schools, shuttering businesses, restricting sporting events and suspending voting in the 2020 primary - are drawing fresh attention as she runs for the state’s top office and have become a central line of criticism from Republicans. During campaign rallies, Ramaswamy has accused Acton of spreading dangerous “COVID ideology.” Her