An Armed Man Shoves Through the Crowd Toward Ohio's Democratic Nominee for Governor at the Canfield Fair — Two Handguns, Brass Knuckles and a Taser on Him, Several People Knocked to the Ground — and the Republican Governor, Senator and Nominee All Condemn It Within Hours
At about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2026, Dr. Amy Acton — the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio and the state's former health director — was speaking in the Mahoning County Democratic Party's tent at the Canfield Fair, outside Youngstown, when a 38-year-old Canfield man holding up a cellphone began shoving his way through the crowd toward her. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and security stopped him; several people were knocked to the ground and injured. Acton, a physician, was not hurt and stayed to treat one of the injured. The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office identified the man as Patrick Havas and said deputies recovered two handguns, a set of brass knuckles and a Taser, none of which were drawn. He was booked on disorderly conduct and two counts of assault. Havas shares an address with Andrew Havas, a Jon Husted campaign volunteer who resigned in July after NBC News reported his 2009 misdemeanor conviction stemming from sexual-misconduct accusations involving a 15-year-old; investigators have not described a political motive. Condemnations came quickly and across party lines. Gov. Mike DeWine, who said he had spoken with Acton and that she asked him to tell Ohioans she was okay, called violence or its threat at political events "always unacceptable." Sen. Jon Husted said he and his wife were "disturbed" and that the behavior "must never be tolerated." Attorney General Andy Wilson said "political violence of any kind has no place in Ohio or our nation." The campaign of Acton's Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, said candidates "should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," and Sherrod Brown, the Democratic Senate nominee, thanked law enforcement for a "quick and professional response." The incident came four days before the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah and in a race recent polling has shown to be competitive.
“The attempted violence directed at Dr. Acton is unacceptable — political violence of any kind has no place in Ohio or our nation.”