Assailant Arrested After Lunging at Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Amy Acton at Canfield Fair

YOUNGSTOWN — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton was the target of an attempted attack on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, resulting in injuries to several people, according to campaign officials. Acton, who secured the party's nomination for governor on May 5, 2026, was not physically harmed during the incident.

Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman Chris Anderson stated that an armed assailant lunged at Dr. Acton, knocking campaign volunteers to the ground. The suspect was subsequently arrested with “multiple weapons,” Anderson confirmed in a statement.

Ohio State Highway Patrol and other authorities present at the fairgrounds responded quickly to the situation. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine issued a statement acknowledging that a man had “tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth.” DeWine emphasized, "Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable."

Addie Bullock, communications director for Dr. Acton’s campaign, affirmed that while Acton was unharmed, multiple people had sustained injuries. Bullock also stated that Dr. Acton “will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol” that causes division.

The campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also condemned the event. Connie Luck, Ramaswamy’s communications director, commented that candidates should be able to meet voters without concerns for threats or violence, calling what happened "completely unacceptable" and expressing hope that no one was seriously hurt.

Ohio Republican Sen. John Husted shared on X that he and his wife were "disturbed by the attempted attack on Amy Acton today at the Canfield Fair." Husted also conveyed gratitude for law enforcement’s swift response, stating there is no place for such behavior and it must not be tolerated.

The fairground’s police department directed inquiries regarding the incident to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, which did not immediately return a request for comment. The Ohio State Highway Patrol also did not immediately respond to requests for information.

This attempted attack is the latest in a series of political violence incidents across the United States. The Ohio gubernatorial race is one of the most closely watched contests this year, with campaigns entering their final six weeks before the November election. The Public Service Alliance, a nonpartisan group focusing on security for public officials, reported in April that federal political committees spent over $40 million on security expenses during the 2023-24 campaign cycle.

The country has seen an increase in political violence over the last decade. This includes the 2017 shooting at a Republican congressional baseball team practice, the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2024 assassination attempts on Donald Trump during his presidential campaign and at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, and the assassinations last year of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and a conservative commentator in Utah.

Before running for governor, Dr. Acton served as Ohio’s public health director, having been recruited by Gov. DeWine in 2019. She previously held a position as an associate professor of public health at Ohio State University. Acton gained significant public attention in early 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a familiar figure and source of reassurance during the governor’s daily news conferences. Her service earned her the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Profile in COVID Courage Award, the Columbus Foundation’s Spirit of Columbus Award, and Ohio State’s Alumni Medalist Award.

However, her prominent role in the DeWine administration’s aggressive approach to the virus also drew criticism from some Statehouse Republicans and Ohioans who opposed pandemic restrictions. She is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who has leveraged national recognition, tech industry connections, and an alliance with President Donald Trump to achieve significant fundraising, which he is using for advertising and rallies to criticize Acton in the lead-up to the November election.