Several large public employee unions endorsed former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton for governor in 2026.

The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 and AFSCME Retirees Chapter 1184 backed Acton in an event on Dec. 4. Collectively, the unions represent more than 100,000 Ohio workers.

Union leaders said Acton is the candidate who respects American workers, while her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, called them mediocre in a 2024 social media post.

Last December, Ramaswamy wrote that American culture was to blame for technology companies often hiring foreign-born and first-generation engineers over American-born talent. "Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too

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