Armed assailant attacks Ohio governor candidate Amy Acton at Canfield Fair

Ramaswamy calls attack ‘unacceptable’; law enforcement had not commented

An armed assailant attacked Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Amy Acton at a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, lunging at her and injuring several people, then knocking volunteers to the ground before he was arrested, according to campaign officials. Acton was not injured, Anderson said in a statement.

Anderson said the suspect was “discovered to have weapons” after his arrest. The Canfield Fair police department referred inquiries to the Mahoning County sheriff’s department, which did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The Ohio State Highway Patrol also did not immediately respond to a request for information.

Addie Bullock, communications director for the Acton campaign, said Acton was “grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured.” Bullock added that “this kind of violence has no place in Ohio” and said Acton “will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”

A photo shared to social media by a fair attendee after the incident showed Acton checking on one of those injured.

Anderson separately called the incident “reprehensible” and said it “should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle.”

Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, who faces Acton in the November election, condemned the attack. Ramaswamy called the incident “unacceptable,” and his communications director, Connie Luck, said in a statement: “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.”

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayad also denounced the attack in a social media post. “There’s no place for political violence in America,” El-Sayad said. “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.”

Ramaswamy has drawn on national name recognition, tech industry connections, and an alliance with Trump to pull in a record fundraising haul that he is directing toward advertising aimed at the November election. He has been using campaign rallies and advertising to criticize Acton, the state’s former public health director.