Attacker lunges at Democratic Ohio Governor candidate at campaign stop, team says
Numerous people were injured when an armed assailant lunged at Amy Acton on Sunday at the Canfield Fair.
Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor Amy Acton was targeted in an attack on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, according to officials.
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Numerous people were injured when an armed assailant lunged at Acton.
The attacker pushed volunteers around him to the ground before being arrested shortly afterwards.
Police restrained the suspect, who was then “discovered to have weapons”, according to Mahoning County Democratic Party chairperson Chris Anderson.
Acton’s communications director, Addie Bullock, added that she is “grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. 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”.
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Chris Anderson, Mahoning County Democratic Party chairperson, said: “What happened at our tent today during today’s visit from Dr Acton is reprehensible and should be condemned by leaders on all sides of the aisle,”
Acton is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor race, with the Republican having leveraged his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with Donald Trump for his campaign fundraising.
His campaign is using the money raised for advertising spots ahead of the November election.
The advertisements have included criticisms of Acton, the state’s former public health director. Ramaswamy called Sunday’s incident unacceptable.
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,” Ramaswamy’s communications director, Connie Luck, said in a statement on Sunday.
Abdul El-Sayad, Michigan’s Democratic US Senate candidate, also joined Ramaswamy in denouncing the attack.
“There’s no place for political violence in America,” El-Sayad said in a social media post. “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.”