Man Cuffed After Lunging at Governor Hopeful

An armed man pushed through a crowd and lunged at Amy Acton, Ohio's Democratic nominee for governor, at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, knocking several people down before Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers stopped him, her campaign and local law enforcement said.

Patrick Havas, 38, of Canfield, was arrested and booked into the Mahoning County Jail on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct. No bond had been set, with the court closed for the Labor Day holiday. Acton, a physician who was speaking to supporters when he rushed toward her, was not hurt.

The confrontation happened around 2:30 p.m. inside the Mahoning County Democratic Party's tent at the fair in Canfield, a suburb of Youngstown. Deputies later recovered two handguns and a set of brass knuckles from Havas, though officials said he never drew a weapon.

Pushing through the tent

Havas walked into the tent with a cellphone set up to record Acton and began forcing his way toward the front, said Gerry Ricciutti, a spokesperson for the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office.

Ricciutti said Havas started pushing through the crowd as he entered the tent. Acton's security detail, made up of Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, confronted him, and two people were knocked to the ground as that happened.

Sheriff Jerry Greene told CBS News that two of those knocked over were older fairgoers on mobility scooters. The full extent of the injuries was not immediately clear.

Two guns and a set of brass knuckles

After the arrest, deputies recovered two handguns and a set of brass knuckles, Ricciutti said. The Highway Patrol said Havas also had a Taser. He never brandished any of the weapons or removed them from their holsters, investigators said.

The man in custody

Havas last pulled a Republican ballot in a primary, according to his voter file, and has worked as a licensed nurse, the Daily Beast reported. Court records show his only prior conviction in Mahoning County is a 2008 disorderly conduct case; a petty theft charge against him was dismissed.

Acton stopped to help

Acton stayed at the scene after Havas was taken into custody and attended to one of the injured people, according to a photo a person at the event shared with reporters. Then her security team escorted her out of the tent.

John Boccieri, a Democratic candidate for Ohio's 58th District who witnessed the confrontation, said the incident should alarm every Ohioan, regardless of political affiliation. He said there can be "absolutely no tolerance for threats, intimidation or violence against candidates, elected officials, campaign volunteers or citizens participating in our democratic process."

The investigation

The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which protects Acton because she is a candidate for governor, and the sheriff's office are investigating what led up to the incident. The patrol is also handling a threat assessment. Detectives asked anyone with cellphone video or still photos of the confrontation to contact Chief Deputy Jeff Allen at 330-480-5012.

Condemnation from both parties

Acton's campaign said she and her husband, Eric, are "grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured." Addie Bullock, the campaign's communications director, added, "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."

Vivek Ramaswamy, Acton's Republican opponent, condemned the attack through his campaign. "Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," said Connie Luck, his communications director. "What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt."

Gov. Mike DeWine, the term-limited Republican whom Acton once served under, said he and his wife spoke with her and were grateful she was unhurt. "Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable," he said. Republican Sen. Jon Husted wrote on X that he and his wife were "disturbed by the attempted attack." Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said he was thankful Acton was unharmed and that his prayers were with those who were injured.

Christopher Anderson, chair of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, which hosted Acton, called what happened at the tent reprehensible and said it should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle. Mahoning County Commissioner Geno DeFabio said on Facebook that political violence of any kind has no place in America and that the rhetoric has to tone down immediately. Youngstown Bishop David Bonnar urged the public to pray for peace.

A run of political violence

The attempted attack adds to a rise in political violence across the country over the past decade. That list includes the 2017 shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia; the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; three assassination attempts on Donald Trump, two in 2024 and one in April 2026; and the killings last year of Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah.

Federal political committees spent more than $40 million on expenses labeled as security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle, the most recent for which data is public, according to an April report from the Public Service Alliance, a nonpartisan group focused on protecting public officials. Separate Brennan Center research has found that a large share of state lawmakers and local election officials report being threatened or harassed in recent years.

From the COVID briefings to the ballot

DeWine recruited Acton in 2019 to lead the Ohio Department of Health. She had taught public health at Ohio State University as an assistant professor of practice. As COVID-19 spread in early 2020, she became a familiar face at the governor's daily briefings and a source of reassurance for many viewers.

That role also made her enemies. Her support for the DeWine administration's pandemic restrictions drew opposition from Statehouse Republicans and many Ohioans who resented the rules. She later received the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation's Profile in COVID Courage Award and Ohio State's Alumni Medalist Award.

A near-even race for governor

Acton is running against Ramaswamy, the Trump-endorsed businessman who sought the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, in one of the most closely watched races in the country. They are competing to succeed DeWine in November. Ramaswamy had also been scheduled to visit the fair on Sunday afternoon.

The contest has stayed tight all year. An EMC Research poll in late February had Acton up 53-43, and a YouGov/Bowling Green State University survey in April had Ramaswamy narrowly ahead, 48-47. A late-June NYT/Siena College poll found the race tied at 47 percent each, and an Emerson College poll fielded in December put Acton at 46 percent to Ramaswamy's 45 percent, with 9 percent undecided. A Fox News poll last month had Ramaswamy up two. RealClearPolling's average had Acton ahead by 0.3 percentage points as of September 7.

On money, Acton had outraised Ramaswamy roughly $11.5 million to $9.6 million in the filing period that closed on June 12, the most recent one on the public record. Ramaswamy holds a large edge in cash on hand, $26.8 million to Acton's $8.1 million, helped by a $25 million personal loan to his campaign.

Acton was back on the trail the next day, greeting voters along a parade route in Cleveland.