Police responded to a report of a 'domestic dispute' at Ohio governor candidate's home in 2019

2026 ElectionPolice responded to a report of a 'domestic dispute' at Ohio governor candidate's home in 2019Officers determined there was a "verbal argument" involving Amy Acton, a Democrat who was then the state's health director, and her husband. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Amy Acton is running for Ohio governor as a Democrat against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.Stephen Zenner / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 11, 2026, 8:00 AM EDTBy Henry J. GomezCOLUMBUS, Ohio — In August 2019, police in Bexley, Ohio, responded to a report of a “domestic dispute” at the home of Dr. Amy Acton.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Acton — then the director of the state’s Department of Health, now a Democratic candidate for governor — pulled a mirror off the wall, “shattering the glass” when she “became upset” because she felt her husband “was antagonizing her,” according to a police report. She told officers she had been drinking, had taken an unknown amount of prescription drugs and was about to drive away in her car before her husband, who also told police he had been drinking, talked her out of it, the report stated.A medic dispatched to check on Acton recommended that she go to the hospital, but Acton “refused,” according to the police report. Police determined that there was no evidence of physical violence between Acton and her husband, only a “verbal argument over her extended work hours.”Months later, Acton would become one of Ohio’s most visible leaders as the state battled Covid, advising and appearing almost daily alongside Gov. Mike DeWine as they issued stay-at-home orders and shared the latest case numbers. Acton’s time in the spotlight brought her doting admirers, as well as vicious critics. And as the lone Democrat serving in a Republican governor’s Cabinet, she quickly became a prospect for elected office herself after resigni...