The man accused of attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Ohio, is a registered Republican who once shared an address with a scandal-plagued volunteer forced out of a Republican senator's campaign, according to multiple reports.

Patrick Havas, 38, was accused by Acton's campaign of "injuring multiple people" on Sunday when he lunged at the 60-year-old candidate at the Canfield Fair, a longstanding agricultural fair in Mahoning County that is a frequent stop for Ohio politicians during campaign season.

Acton, a physician who served as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, became a prominent public figure through the state's daily pandemic briefings. She is running in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine against Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, making this one of the most closely watched gubernatorial contests of the cycle.

Havas was booked into the Mahoning County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and assault, Newsweek reported, which also noted that he is a registered Republican and a licensed nurse. According to the sheriff's office, Havas was carrying two handguns and brass knuckles at the time. The incident comes amid heightened concern in the United States about threats and violence directed at political candidates and public officials, which has led both parties to place greater emphasis on security at campaign events.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Havas once shared an address with Andrew Havas.

In July, NBC News reported that Andrew Havas resigned from his volunteer role with Sen. Jon Husted's campaign after it emerged that he had spent time in jail following accusations of sexual misconduct involving a 15-year-old. Havas, 22 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty in 2009 to a misdemeanor assault charge and served 90 days in the Mahoning County jail from May to August 2009, according to records provided by the county sheriff's office to NBC.

Acton has publicly criticized her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy over campaign donations from Andrew Havas, TiffinOhio.net reported.

"Ohioans deserve leaders who exercise good judgment and who put integrity first," Acton reportedly wrote in July. "I find it appalling that Vivek Ramaswamy accepted over $10,000 from Andrew Havas."

Both Ramaswamy and Husted released statements condemning the attack.

"Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," Ramaswamy's communications director Connie Luck said in a statement to Newsweek. "What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt."

"Tina and I are disturbed by the attempted attack on Amy Acton today at the Canfield Fair," Husted wrote on X. "We are grateful for law enforcement's quick response. There is no place for this kind of behavior, and it must never be tolerated."