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Ohio governor candidate Amy Acton attacked at fair, unharmed

September 6, 2026 7:38 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 6 (Reuters) - ‌An 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.

"This kind of violence has no place in Ohio," Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement.

Connie 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.

(Reporting by Abhirup Roy ​in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Kathrine Jackson and Brad Brooks; Editing by Sergio Non and Tom ‌Hogue)



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