FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2026
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ICYMI: Dr. Amy Acton Joins End Citizens United and Ohioans for Roundtable on Cost of Corruption
COLUMBUS, OH– On Wednesday, Dr. Amy Acton joined End Citizens United and Ohioans for a roundtable to discuss her anti-corruption agenda and her plans to immediately tackle the rampant corruption in Ohio that has raised costs for working families on day one as Governor.
See coverage below:
On the Airwaves:
On WBNS:
Anchor: “Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton unveiled her plan to fight what she calls corruption in state government.”
Dr. Amy Acton: “One remaining cost that we wanted to talk about is the cost of corruption, which all of us are paying for.”
Reporter: “The democratic candidate for governor’s three-part plan includes creating an anti-corruption task force to take public input, conduct audits and make recommendations in the first 100 days of her term. She also wants to clean up the appointment process. Acton says the second executive order would prevent situations like the H.B. 6 FirstEnergy scandal, described as the largest bribery scandal in state history.”
Reporter: “Acton says the third executive order would expand disclosure and transparency in the contract and regulatory decision-making process.”
Dr. Amy Acton: “We’re going to become very transparent and clear about how we do business in the State of Ohio.”
Anchor: “Ohio Democratic candidate for governor, Dr. Amy Acton, is vowing to tackle corruption on the first day of her administration should she be elected. Acton released a series of measures she would implement via executive orders. They include creating an anti-corruption task force, increasing transparency and disclosure and focusing on pay-to-play and dark money in state government.”
On 90.3 WCPN:
Reporter: “Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton unveiled a three-point plan to end corruption in Ohio Statehouse politics. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports.”
Reporter: “Amy Acton points to House Bill 6, the nuclear power plant bail-out scheme that sent the republican former House speaker and former head of the Ohio Republican Party to prison. Acton says Ohioans are now paying the price in higher electric bills.”
Dr. Amy Acton: “Ohioans deserve us to not keep putting the wants of billionaires and special interests over the needs of everyday Ohioans.”
Reporter: “Acton says as Governor she’d immediately sign three executive orders she says would crack down on corruption in state government.”
In Print:
Dayton Daily News: Democrat Acton vows to take on political corruption, dark money spending
- Democrat Dr. Amy Acton made a vow this week to tackle corruption in and around the Ohio Statehouse if she’s elected this November by illuminating dark money campaign spending and closing a “revolving door” that allows individuals to switch between private sector and government regulation.
- Acton, who’s looking to become the first Democrat to lead Ohio since Ted Strickland left office in 2011, promised to sign executive orders on those topics on the first day of her prospective administration. A third order would create an “anti-corruption task force” meant to produce recommendations 100 days later.
Statehouse News Bureau: Democratic candidate for Ohio governor says she’ll sign executive orders to fight corruption
- Amy Acton told reporters at a Columbus-area coffee shop Wednesday that corruption is raising Ohio’s costs. She mentioned the House Bill 6 scandal around that now-repealed FirstEnergy nuclear power plant bailout, which resulted in criminal convictions of Republican former House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chair Matt Borges. Acton said the total of that scandal has cost Ohio ratepayers more than $2 billion.
- Acton said on day one as governor, she would sign three executive orders to combat corruption in government. One would create an anti-corruption task force to conduct audits and make recommendations on how to prevent financial abuse of public funds. A second would block lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who have been involved with organizations regulated by Ohio agencies from serving on their boards within three years, and would require more disclosure of people who are appointed to positions. A third executive order would increase transparency by creating a public database of state contracts.
- “We need a good statehouse,” Acton said. “We need good elected officials who want to work on the problems of our everyday lives. 95% of what I hear about no one disagrees on—no one disagrees on it. They just want us to get to work solving it. And so it is time for this corruption and this power and this stuff to end. And good people on both sides of the aisle who want to do this work. I welcome that work.”
Mercer County Outlook: Dr. Amy Acton Pledges to Sign Day One Executive Orders to Take On Cost of Corruption and Put Ohioans First
- Today, Dr. Amy Acton released her anti-corruption agenda to protect Ohioans from the cost of corruption. Corruption has cost Ohioans billions of dollars over the past two decades, including the FirstEnergy scandal, which cost Ohio ratepayers more than two billion dollars.
- Acton said— “When I am governor, hard-working Ohioans will stop footing the bill for the cost of corruption in our state. It is time to put the needs of working families over the wants of billionaires, corporations and special interests. As Governor, I will crack down on the corruption that raises our costs — requiring transparency, fighting to end pay-to-play schemes, and shining a light on bidding, contracting, and appointment processes to ensure decisions are made on behalf of our taxpayers. Ohioans deserve a governor who will put them first, not corporations and special interests.”
Cleveland.com: Amy Acton unveils anti-corruption plan in Ohio governor race: What it does and doesn’t do
- Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton on Wednesday pledged, if elected, to issue three anti-corruption executive orders on her first day in office, including expanding ethics restrictions on state regulators and increasing transparency for state contractors and contracts.
- Beyond those initial moves, Acton also vowed to create an anti-corruption task force, with audit authority, to recommend additional steps to tackle corruption, fraud, and abuse.
- Muller praised Acton’s proposals, calling them “a great plan for cleaning up this corruption, putting money back into people’s pockets, and being able to actually crack down on the corrupt system that’s currently costing people so much.”
TiffinOhio.net: Amy Acton releases anti-corruption plan with 3 day-one executive orders for Ohio governor
- Acton, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, presented the plan to reporters at a Columbus-area coffee shop and released it the same day, on her campaign website.
- “We believe that you can’t be sitting regulating something, and then flip over to the industry side, and then flip back over into the regulating side,” Acton told the Dayton Daily News at the event.
- “We need a good statehouse,” Acton said. “We need good elected officials who want to work on the problems of our everyday lives. 95% of what I hear about no one disagrees on—no one disagrees on it. They just want us to get to work solving it. And so it is time for this corruption and this power and this stuff to end. And good people on both sides of the aisle who want to do this work. I welcome that work.”
Online:
@amyactonoh: Hardworking Ohioans have paid the price for corruption in our Statehouse for far too long. Scandals, dark money, and pay-to-play politics don’t just undermine trust — they’re also raising your costs at home. That’s why I just released my ActOn the Cost of Corruption plan. On Day One, I’ll sign Executive Orders to make sure you no longer have to pay the price for bad actors and special interests.🧵
@StopBigMoney: We joined @amyactonoh in Columbus, Ohio to talk about her Cost of Corruption agenda: a plan to fix an economy that’s been rigged for billionaires by cracking down on corruption. #OHGov
@Tiffany_Muller: It was a pleasure to join @amyactonoh for a roundtable focused on her Cost of Corruption agenda earlier today. Dr. Acton knows that in order to lower costs for Ohioans, she’ll have to tackle the corruption that’s been standing in the way.
@AndrewJTobias: Amy Acton is holding a press event / roundtable discussion on the topic of corruption at a coffee shop in Columbus. She’s here with Tiffany Muller with End Citizens United.
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