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JS Jim Swift Jim Swift Senior Editor, The Bulwark.

“Watching Acton, it seems to me that she doesn’t work a room so much as observe it, and in a way that reminds me of the moment a physician looks you over before starting the conversation during an exam. In response to questions, she sometimes pauses to take in the questioners for so long that it’s almost physically discomfiting. Call it retail bedside manner.”

The Bulwark · Policy · August 2026

“Watching Acton, it seems to me that she doesn’t work a room so much as observe it, and in a way that reminds me of the moment a physician looks you over before starting the conversation during an exam. In response to questions, she sometimes pauses to take in the questioners for so long that it’s almost physically discomfiting. Call it retail bedside manner.” — Jim Swift on Dr. Amy Acton, The Bulwark

Context

Jim Swift, senior editor at The Bulwark, describing Amy Acton's campaign style at a firefighters' union event in Cincinnati, in an August 2026 profile of the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor.

Listen to the episode → What people say about Dr. Amy Acton → More from Jim Swift → More Policy quotes →

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