Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton unharmed after man lunges at her during campaign event
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed that Amy Acton, who is a gubernatorial candidate, was uninjured after a man reportedly lunged at her at a campaign event near Youngstown on Sunday.
This comes after an earlier statement put out by Acton’s campaign said that an armed individual had lunged at Acton while she was at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County, resulting in the injuries of multiple people who were nearby.
Acton, the Democratic nominee in the race for governor, is a physician and the former director of the Ohio Department of Health. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Acton will face off to see who will take Ohio Gov. DeWine’s seat as he is term-limited at the end of 2026.
“Fran and I are thankful Dr. Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured. We spoke to Dr. Acton this afternoon and she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok,” said DeWine in his statement. “We are grateful for the quick work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement on the scene at the Canfield Fair today when a man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth.”
A statement attributed to Addie Bullock, Acton’s campaign communications director, said that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate was “grateful” for the swift law enforcement response.
“This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another,” said Bullock.
The suspect was later identified by the sheriff’s office as 38-year-old Patrick Havas of Canfield.
Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office
Patrick Havas, 38
According to local police, the incident happened at approximately 2:30 p.m. and occurred as Acton was speaking to a crowd at the fairgrounds from inside of the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s tent.
Police say that Havas quickly rushed into the tent and approached Acton, causing nearby officers to jump into action to knock him to the ground and arrest him.
Two handguns and a set of brass knuckles were said to be found on Havas’s person. However, Havas reportedly did not brandish the weapons or remove them from their holsters.
According to police, Havas was recording video with his cellphone during the altercation.
Jail records indicate that Havas was later booked on charges of assault and disorderly conduct.
In a statement, Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson confirmed that the two people who were injured were volunteers with the party.
“What happened at our tent today during today’s visit from Dr. Acton is reprehensible and should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle,” added Anderson in his statement. “MCDP is grateful for the quick response by our local law enforcement officials as well as the OSHP providing Dr. Acton security.”
The campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy, who is Acton’s Republican opponent in the Ohio gubernatorial race, released a statement condemning the altercation in the hours after it happened.
“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence. What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt,” said Connie Luck, Ramaswamy’s campaign communications director.
The country has seen a rise in political violence over the past decade. That includes the 2017 shooting at a Republican congressional baseball team practice in Alexandria, Virginia; the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California; the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally during his presidential campaign as well as another on the president at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April; and the assassinations last year of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband and of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah.
Federal political committees spent more than $40 million on expenses labeled as security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle, the most recent one for which data is publicly available, according a report released in April from the Public Service Alliance, a nonpartisan group that focuses on security for public officials.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report
