Amy Acton's campaign said an armed individual lunged at the candidate during a visit to the Canfield Fair on Sunday and that multiple people were injured in the incident, prompting a law enforcement response and condemnation from both major campaigns in Ohio's closely watched governor's race. According to a statement released by Acton's campaign, the incident occurred while the former Ohio health director was attending the annual fair in Mahoning County near Youngstown. "While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr.
Acton, injuring multiple people," campaign communications director Addie Bullock said in a statement. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured." The campaign did not immediately provide details about the suspect, the weapons allegedly involved, or the nature and extent of the injuries. It also did not initially say whether Acton herself had been hurt.
NBC News later reported that Acton was not injured, though the extent of injuries suffered by others was not immediately known. Newsweek reached out to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Canfield Fair officials and the Acton campaign Sunday evening seeking additional details. The incident took place Sunday afternoon during Acton's appearance at the Canfield Fair, one of Ohio's largest annual fairs.
Christopher Anderson, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, said on Facebook that the confrontation occurred at the county Democratic Party's tent. Anderson said a suspect was taken into custody and called the incident political violence that should be condemned by leaders across the political spectrum. Anderson said the party was grateful for the response from local law enforcement and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which was providing security for Acton at the event.
Local reports also said the suspect was allegedly armed with multiple weapons and that several campaign volunteers were knocked to the ground during the confrontation, although authorities had not publicly confirmed those details as of Sunday evening. Acton is facing Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy in November's election to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine. The race is among the nation's most closely watched gubernatorial contests.
Ramaswamy's campaign condemned the incident in a statement provided to Newsweek. "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," Connie Luck, communications director for Vivek for Ohio, said.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
