Armed assailant attacks Ohio Democratic candidate Amy Acton during campaign stop

Sep 6, 2026

On September 6, 2026, armed suspect Patrick Havas charged toward Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair. Acton was unhurt, but Havas knocked over and injured several attendees, including an older man on a mobility scooter, before being subdued by security. Havas was carrying two pistols, a Taser, and brass knuckles, and now faces assault and disorderly conduct charges. The incident drew swift bipartisan condemnation from Governor Mike DeWine and Acton's opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy.

Canfield Fair attack incident

▪Amy Acton was not injured during the September 6, 2026 incident, but several attendees and campaign volunteers were knocked to the ground and injured
▪An armed assailant charged toward Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on September 6, 2026, during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair in northeastern Ohio

Patrick Havas arrest

▪Patrick Havas was carrying two pistols, a Taser, and a set of brass knuckles, though the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office stated no weapons were brandished or removed from their holsters
▪The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas of Canfield, Ohio, was stopped by Amy Acton's security detail and law enforcement officers at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent

Assault charges filed

▪Patrick Havas was booked into the Mahoning County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault
▪Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene stated that Patrick Havas faced two misdemeanor assault counts for knocking over two older adults, including one with Parkinson's disease on a mobility scooter

Political violence in campaigns

▪The attempted attack on Amy Acton is part of a decade-long rise in U.S. political violence, which includes the 2025 assassinations of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband
▪A report by the nonpartisan Public Service Alliance revealed that federal political committees spent over $40 million on security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle

Bipartisan condemnation statements

▪The campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy condemned the incident, stating that candidates must be able to meet voters without facing threats or violence
▪Republican Governor Mike DeWine and Republican Senator Jon Husted issued statements condemning the attack, emphasizing that political violence is unacceptable

Ohio gubernatorial race

▪Amy Acton, the former Ohio public health director who gained national prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the November 2026 gubernatorial election
▪Before her gubernatorial run, Amy Acton led the Ohio Department of Health starting in 2019, earning both national accolades and opposition from conservative groups over pandemic restrictions