Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton visited Athens Sunday morning to meet with residents and share her campaign message during a coffee hour event hosted by local Democratic organizations.
The event, organized by the Athens County Young Democrats and the Ohio University College Democrats, took place at Jackie O’s Taproom and Production Brewery, located at 25 Campbell St. Doors opened at 9:45 a.m. with speeches lasting until about 10:45 a.m., followed by a meet-and-greet.
Margaret Nunemaker, a junior at Athens High School and vice president of membership for the Athens County Young Democrats, opened the event by thanking the attendees for their support.
“I'm so excited that the Athens County Young Democrats get to host this coffee hour with Dr. Acton as our first major event,” Nunemaker said. “We really appreciate everyone who's here with us, and we have many, many goals as a group, but we've been working for this one for a really long time.”
The Athens County Young Democrats recently rechartered in August and have since been active in organizing political events. Matthew Malone, the president of the Athens County Young Democrats, said hosting speakers like Acton helps young people engage in the political process.
“One thing I've recognized over the past couple of years is the young generations are the ones who are leading these movements, and somebody has to get the person here,” Malone said. “I'm not the one doing the speaking, I'm not the one doing the running, the governing, any of that, but if I can at least get someone here for everyone to hear them, that's the bare minimum that I can do.”
Dr. Amy Acton with Athens, Ohio, residents at coffee hour event, Nov. 9, 2025.
One of the main points in Acton’s speech was that she represents everyday Ohioans because she is one of them. She spoke about her childhood in Youngstown, where she experienced homelessness and abuse, and how those experiences shaped her resilience.
“I had a very rough childhood up to the age of 12,” Acton said. “I was a frequent flyer of children's services, a lot of abuse and neglect, I was homeless in the middle of winter, living in a tent. I've just been doing the work my whole life, and I didn't do all that if I wasn't tough enough. That scrappy kid in Youngstown is very much here and ready for the fight.”
Acton also addressed the governor’s race, in which she faced Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. A recent poll from the Ohio Federation of Teachers shows the two candidates statistically tied among Ohio voters. Acton emphasized her ability to connect across party lines and win support from independents.
“We have record crowds,” Acton said. “It does not know the party. What this polling shows, and this is deep dive research we did … we are beating Vivek Ramaswamy by 21 points. We're up 21, he's negative 14 in Independents.”
Sign that reads "Athens 4 Acton" at local coffee hour event, Nov. 9, 2025.
Wenda Sheard, a resident of Ames Township, said she is very happy with everything Acton has said and Acton “matches so many of us, and … she is our best chance for a turnaround in politics.”
Throughout the event, Acton urged the students in the audience to stay engaged. Many members of the Young Democrats are not yet eligible to vote, so she encouraged them to get involved in other ways.
“If you want to join this effort, go to actonforgovernor.com, follow all our socials, get it out there and spread it,“ Acton said. "Make stuff, come to us.”
Acton also highlighted her campaign’s grassroots fundraising success. Each table at the event had fliers with QR codes linking to donation pages.
“We set a record three quarters in a row for Governor candidates, but the biggest thing hidden in those numbers because it came from 88 counties,“ Acton said. "It came from every state, and the average gift was $24. We have a record number of individual donors. We've had more people donate in the first half of this year than most candidates ever see in two years statewide. It is a movement of the people.”
Acton also spoke about an interview she did with Jamie Harrison, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee under former President Joe Biden. Harrison asked her who she would like to see “sit down,” but Acton said the focus should be on getting up.
“Whatever stuff we've had in the past, whatever has not worked, it ends now,“ Acton said. "We are less than a year away, and this guy, these people are beatable. They're on the ropes. I see all the signs of it, because the people are finding their way back to one another … I think we all got to stand our a-- up is what we got to do. That's what we need.”
Acton was vocal about her plans for the state, expressing her commitment to supporting Appalachian Ohio. She addressed issues such as maternity care deserts, childcare shortages and widespread poverty, saying she has worked with philanthropy organizations, local health coalitions and the university to help address community needs.
Acton said the state currently lacks a comprehensive plan to address these problems, and local governments are not receiving the support they need.
“One of the things I think that's most important to understand is our statehouse has been broken in such that we're no longer empowering the local communities to come up with their best solutions,” Acton said. “Folks here know, the children's coalition knows what is needed. The university has been studying this and making plans for years, but what we need to do is actually work on those plans that the community made themselves, and my job is to help make the resources at the state level actually get to the community.”
Banners at coffee hour events with Dr. Amy Acton, Nov. 9, 2025.
Acton’s priorities include lowering healthcare costs, improving education, growing jobs and businesses and eliminating corruption in state government, according to the Acton campaign website. She also emphasized her support for unions and said she intends to stand up for Ohio workers.
Acton said the guiding principle of her campaign, and a theme she has been hearing most from Ohioans, is common humanity.
“We've got to quit mistaking kindness for weakness,” Acton said. “That is a big, big mistake. Kindness is in every world religion, in every society. It is what all of us want our kids to be above all things. It is a fierce commitment to justice and not looking the other way, and not having people be invisible and making sure everyone belongs. It is a fierce commitment to seeing humanity in one another.”
Many Athens residents said they felt Acton represents their values and approach to leadership. Sheard said electing Acton would be a step toward restoring integrity in politics.
“She stands for humanity, to get politics back on the right foot,“ Sheard said. "She is not like her opponent, a jet-setting billionaire. We need to support Amy Acton as much as we can.”
