Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton was attacked at an event in Canfield, Ohio, her campaign said in a statement.
“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement posted to X on Sunday.
The attacker was taken into police custody and was found to be in possession of several weapons, said Chris Anderson, the chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party.
“Moments ago during a visit from Dr. Amy Acton, an individual was arrested at the MCDP tent with multiple weapons, after knocking volunteers to the ground,” Anderson wrote in a post on X.
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The candidate was unharmed, The Associated Press reported.
Acton’s spokesperson said the candidate was grateful for the “swift and decisive action of law enforcement” after the incident.
“This kind of violence has no place in Ohio,” Bullock said. “Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”
The campaign of Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy condemned the attack.
“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” campaign spokesperson Connie Luck wrote in a statement. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt.”
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attack spurred a wave of support from Democrats and Republicans online.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) — whose wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, survived an assassination attempt in 2011 — said he spoke with Acton after the incident.
“She’s tough. There’s no place in our society for political violence. An issue that unfortunately Gabby and I are very familiar with,” Kelly wrote on X.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) wrote on X that “there is no place for this kind of behavior, and it must never be tolerated.”
This story has been updated with further details.
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