Candidates on the ballot in November’s general election marched with union members at Detroit’s Labor Day parade on Monday.
A day before, the an armed man charged toward the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor at a campaign event at a local fair.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says an armed assailant charged toward the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Amy Acton, during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, injuring several people before he was stopped by troopers.
The highway patrol said in a statement that a man it identified as Patrick Havas forced his way through a crowd, knocking over multiple members of the audience as he moved toward Acton, the state’s former public health director.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office said two handguns and a set of brass knuckles were recovered after his arrest, and “no weapons were ever brandished or even removed from their holsters.”
Havas was taken to the county jail and booked on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault, the highway patrol statement said.
Acton is facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who 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,” Ramaswamy’s communications director, Connie Luck, said in a statement.
Jocelyn Benson is the Democrat running for Michigan governor. Benson is running against Republican John James in the November election to replace outgoing Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Benson spent part of Monday at the annual Labor Day parade in Detroit, surrounded by thousands of union members.
Benson expressed concern about how political rhetoric may be fueling political violence.
“It is a sobering reminder the consequence of the hateful rhetoric that often times even the President himself spews,” said Benson. “In this moment we all have to recognize the importance of seeing each other as humans and civility, keeping people safe.”
Abdul El-Sayed also spent part of Monday shaking hands and taking pictures with supporters along the parade route. The Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nominee is facing Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election to fill Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat.
El-Sayed calls this a “dangerous moment.”
“Everyone has the collective responsibility to bring some of that temperature down,” said El-Sayed. “Politics and democracy are supposed to be the way by which we resolve our differences peaceably.”
Democratic U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell is a veteran of many political campaigns.
She said this weekend’s violence in Ohio will not deter her from meeting with voters.
“I’m out so people know they can come and talk to me,” Dingell said, amid a throng of union members.
Dingell pointed out President Trump personally attacked her in a Truth Social post over the weekend, in which he referred to her as “Debbie Dingbat.”
“She says nothing but bad about your favorite President, ME! Every time I see that Third Rate Loser ripping me, I’m amazed, because I’m a loyal person, I don’t do things like that but, that’s OK — It’s Politics. However, it shouldn’t be that way! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” read the Truth Social post.
The country has seen a rise in political violence over the past decade.
Federal political committees spent more than $40 million on expenses labeled as security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle, the most recent one for which data are publicly available, according to a report released in April from the Public Service Alliance, a nonpartisan group that focuses on security for public officials.
