Campaign staff for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton confronted a videographer who was attempting to question Acton about her refusal to debate Republican challenger Vivek Ramaswamy. The incident occurred last Saturday at a campaign event in Harrison, Ohio.
Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows Acton's staff quickly moving to block the cameraman as he approached Acton, asking why she had declined invitations to debate Ramaswamy. "No photos, no videos," staffers repeated, with one adding, "I said — no pictures, no interviews." At one point, Acton's staff appeared to bump the cameraman's equipment, causing him to ask them to be careful.
Acton herself did not respond to the questions during the interaction and was seen walking away from the interviewer. This event adds to criticisms from Ramaswamy's campaign regarding Acton's decision not to participate in a debate.
Earlier in September, Acton's campaign stated she would not accept a debate invitation from CNN. A spokesperson for Acton's campaign said in a Sept. 2 statement that Acton's focus is on "talking with Ohioans, not platforming a scam artist who spreads baseless lies about her and her family, uses AI to falsely paint her as someone with a substance abuse problem, and shames Dr. Acton for being sexually abused as a child while Vivek stands with predators and abusers." This response referenced Republican attacks concerning her role in Ohio’s COVID response, a 2019 domestic dispute, and AI-generated campaign ads. It also alluded to Ramaswamy's stance on releasing the Epstein files.
Ramaswamy has criticized Acton's decision not to debate, questioning her qualifications to lead the state. "It’s too bad for Ohio voters that Acton won’t take voter questions, won’t debate, quit after failing as Ohio’s health director, and has some serious issues now surfaced in multiple police reports," Ramaswamy posted on social media.
Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, secured the Democratic nomination for governor and is set to face Ramaswamy in the general election on November 3.
