Amy Acton pushes ahead after armed confrontation at Ohio fairgrounds
Democrat Amy Acton says she will keep campaigning for Ohio governor after what she called a “rough day” at a county fair where an armed
Democrat Amy Acton says she will keep campaigning for Ohio governor after what she called a “rough day” at a county fair where an armed man tried to confront her. The episode has sharpened attention on security around the closely watched race in a state that has moved right in recent years but is now looking more competitive.
Acton addressed supporters Monday at a Labor Day parade and festival in Cleveland, a day after the confrontation at Mahoning County’s Canfield Fair near Youngstown. “I am a fierce warrior in this fight,” she said, according to NBC affiliate WKYC. “I refuse to look the other way.”
Arrest at Canfield Fair
Law enforcement officials said Acton was not injured in the Sunday incident. Several people in the crowd were hurt, officials and witnesses said. A suspect, Patrick Havas, 38, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and assault.
Gerry Ricciutti, a spokesman for the Mahoning County sheriff and prosecutor, said Havas could be formally charged as soon as Tuesday. On Sunday, he approached the local Democratic Party’s tent where Acton was speaking and began pushing through the crowd, according to accounts from the sheriff’s office.
The scene was unsettling. Witnesses described the confrontation as frightening. The fairground encounter landed in the middle of a campaign already marked by sharp attacks and high stakes.
A race drawing national attention
Acton, who served as Ohio’s health director during the COVID-19 pandemic, is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in a race that multiple polls have kept close. A Fox News survey released in late spring showed Acton with a narrow edge, 50 percent to 49 percent, within the margin of error. Cook Political Report later shifted the contest into its “toss-up” category.
The campaign has already turned hard-edged. Republican allies and Ramaswamy’s campaign have targeted Acton with attacks over a seven-year-old police report and a heavily edited video clip, moves described by one Ohio outlet as misleading. The broader fight reflects GOP concern about Acton’s momentum as both parties try to shape voter perceptions ahead of the fall campaign.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has said he expects to endorse the Republican nominee, which “certainly looks like” Ramaswamy, and has described Acton as someone he knows from her work under his administration. For now, though, the immediate question is simpler: how the campaign moves forward after a tense weekend at the fair. Officials say Havas could face formal charges in the coming days.
