FILE - Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton gives an update on the state's preparedness and education efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Ohio health director Amy Acton is running for governor in 2026. Acton is a physician and public health expert who became a household name among Ohioans as she stood alongside Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during daily press briefings in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She plans to run as a Democrat. Acton filed paperwork Tuesday. She says she’ll campaign on making government more responsive to average Ohioans. Republicans Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Attorney General Dave Yost already are positioning to seek the seat, which DeWine must vacate next year due to term limits.