Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, was the target of an attack on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, campaign officials said. Several people were injured when the armed assailant lunged at Acton.
Attack and arrest
The suspect knocked volunteers to the ground before he was arrested and was “discovered to have weapons”, Mahoning county Democratic party chairperson Chris Anderson said in a statement. Acton was not injured, but campaign officials said multiple people were hurt.
She is “grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. 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 Addie Bullock, communications director for the campaign.
Reactions and context
A photo shared to social media by a fair attendee after the incident showed Acton checking on one of those injured in the incident. “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,” Anderson said.
Acton is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with Donald Trump into a record fundraising haul that he is tapping for advertising spots aimed at the November election. He is using campaign rallies and advertising to criticize Acton, the state’s former public health director.
Ramaswamy called the incident Sunday unacceptable. “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,” Ramaswamy’s communications director, Connie Luck, said in a statement on Sunday.
Abdul El-Sayad, Michigan’s Democratic US Senate candidate, also denounced the attack. “There’s no place for political violence in America,” El-Sayad said in a social media post. “Our prayers go out to Dr. Acton and her team, and we hope that this moment is yet another wake up call regarding how important it is to make sure that democracy is a process by which we address our political differences peacefully.”
The fairground’s police department referred inquiries to the Mahoning county sheriff’s department, which didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. The Ohio state highway patrol didn’t immediately respond to a request for information.
