Ohio's Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton has asked attendees at some events to refrain from recording video and audio. That decision, along with her refusal to debate her opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, has Republicans saying it's a sign she shouldn’t be trusted. But Acton said there's a reason behind it.
At a recent event in Cincinnati, Acton campaign political director Jordan Hawkins took to the microphone before the event and said he wanted to make a few things clear: “We love pictures. We don’t love video. And we don’t love audio. There’s no audio or video. You can take as many pictures as you like."
The recording of Hawkins making that announcement has spread on social media. Republicans who back Ramaswamy have said or implied that Acton is hiding something. Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), who is also Ramaswamy’s running mate, said it’s a disservice to the people of Ohio.
“I think it's a reflection of the fact that she's scared to actually have her views and her ideas out in front of the general public," said McColley in an interview. "And number two, I think it's a reflection of the fact that she can't withstand the pressure of the public scrutiny of having her views and everything out in the public. And really the biggest detriment to this is, of course, the open exchange of ideas leading up to an election.”
McColley said attendees at Ramaswamy's events are allowed to record. And McColley said C-SPAN, a private, non-profit American television network that provides unfiltered, live coverage of the U.S. Congress and other public policy events, has been recording at a number of Ramaswamy's events throughout Ohio. That also does include events held by Acton.
But Acton said the decision to limit attendees' ability to record comes down to security.
On Sept. 7, a man approached Acton as she spoke to Mahoning County Democrats at the Canfield Fair. He was allegedly recording on his phone as he moved toward her . Two people were injured during the commotion. Patrick Havas is charged with two counts of assault, inducing panic and disorderly conduct. Havas was allegedly armed with two guns and a Taser, but his attorney has filed a motion to prohibit prosecutors from referring to any firearms or weapons because it would “constitute improper character evidence.”
Acton was unhurt in that incident, but she said that and things she's heard from Ramaswamy and Ohio Republicans have played into how she handles situations at events now.
"When you're with somebody who's a chronic liar, who has attacked my family, put on lies the way they have, said that I'm a socialist when I am not a socialist, and then invoked the Second Amendment, saying it's time to use the Second Amendment to get rid of that—after the things I've been through, as we just saw in Canfield, to say something didn't happen as I watched people be injured and watch people take risks—that to me is not a civil dialogue," Acton told reporters on Tuesday, after a forum with small business owners in her hometown of Bexley.
Both the Ohio Republican Party and the Ramaswamy campaign issued statements on social media condemning political violence not long after the Canfield incident was reported. But over time, some conservative influencers on social media have suggested the situation was overblown.
But McColley said Acton’s argument that safety concerns are behind her decisions to restrict recording or refrain from debates “makes absolutely no sense.”
“I think that's what all Ohioans should be asking right now is that she won't debate,” McColley said. "She won't allow video or audio to be recorded at her events. What does she have to hide? Why is she doing this? And why is she trying to not Ohio voters see what she has to say?”
After Ramaswamy called on her to debate last month, Acton's campaign said in a statement that she would not be "platforming a scam artist who spreads baseless lies about her and her family."
“What I have said is that I will not be beside my opponent, who has said things that have crossed the line," Acton said on Tuesday. "I won't be doing what a debate should be, which is a civil dialogue about facts."
But Acton added that she intends to have "civil dialogue" in office, using the state's live daily press conferences during the pandemic when she was Ohio Department of Health director as an example.
"I will absolutely every single day when I am governor, as I hope to be. We will be getting together the same way we did in COVID, because I honestly want to bring the people along the journey," Acton said.
Not every event is recorded, by either campaign. Both candidates have private fundraisers and events that are not recorded and are not open to the public or the press.
