Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton attacked at Canfield Fair

Jerusalem Post/US PoliticsThe 38-year-old suspect, Patrick Havas, knocked over multiple people at the fair while trying to reach Acton, Ohio State Highway Patrol said in an email to Reuters. Havas had a taser and two pistols.Follow us on GoogleDr. Amy Acton, Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, is fitted with a microphone during a rally on April 28, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio.(photo credit: JON CHERRY/GETTY IMAGES)SEPTEMBER 7, 2026 04:46An armed individual attacked Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on Sunday at the Canfield Fair near Youngstown, according to her campaign and the state highway patrol.Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, was unharmed.The 38-year-old suspect, Patrick Havas, knocked over multiple people at the fair while trying to reach Acton, Ohio State Highway Patrol said in an email to Reuters. Havas had a taser and two pistols on his person, the highway patrol said. Havas was taken to Mahoning County Jail and charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of assault, the highway patrol said. It was not immediately clear if Havas had retained legal representation. The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Ohio State Highway Patrol and the sheriff’s office were investigating what have led to the incident, the OSHP said, but no other details were available. A campaign employee tapes campaign signs onto a truck ahead of a rally for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Amy Acton, on April 28, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (credit: JON CHERRY/GETTY IMAGES)"This kind of violence has no place in Ohio," Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement.Acton's Republican opponent denounces violent incidentConnie Luck, a spokesperson for the campaign of Acton's Republican opponent in the general election, Vivek Ramaswamy, called the incident "completely unacceptable.""Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," Luck said in a statement.Chris Anderson, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican who cannot run for reelection because of term limits, both condemned the attack.Follow us on Google