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Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12

GOP U.S. Senate rivals Hagerty, Sethi criticized for not wearing masks at Hamilton County Republican event

Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi are seen in this combination photo.
Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi are seen in this combination photo. Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi are seen in this combination photo.

Republican U.S. Senate rivals Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi are getting pilloried on social media after they and a number of other attendees at a Hamilton County Republican Party fundraiser were shown in photos as maskless and not maintaining social distance in a county with COVID-19 mask-wearing requirements.

Also coming under fire was Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond, shown maskless and not maintaining six-foot distance either at the GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday night.

Hagerty’s campaign posted a montage of photos on his campaign’s Facebook page of the candidate, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan, with other unmasked attendees – including keynote speakers Diamond and Silk.

“So the citizens of Hamilton county are under a mask mandate but I see no masks,” one Facebook user commented.

Another posted, “You are a doctor,” in response to trauma surgeon Sethi’s Twitter account, which showed the unmasked Sethi meeting with unmasked supporters. “Where is your mask? Where are everyone else’s? I thought there was a mandate?!”