Arizona Candidate Reports Assault During Campaign Sign Repair

Arizona congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia says she was raped by two unknown men on Aug. 14 while repairing campaign signs in a Phoenix suburb, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating the reported assault involving the Democratic candidate for the state's 8th District.

According to a sheriff's office incident report shared by Greene-Placentia's campaign and cited by CNN, the attack occurred between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. near Sun City. She reported the incident on Aug. 31, more than two weeks after it happened.

Greene-Placentia said she was often repairing signs late at night because of Arizona's summer heat and because her campaign had limited resources. She told CBS News, "we are not a well-funded campaign,".

She said she had previously handled campaign tasks herself and described the work as normal for her grassroots operation.

"I took pride in being able to, you know, do these things myself because we are a grassroots campaign, so it wasn't unusual," Greene-Placentia said.

The candidate said she was attacked while returning to her vehicle after working on signs. She told investigators she lost consciousness after being struck on the back of the head and later described injuries including bruises and bleeding.

"The humbling thing is that so many – hundreds and hundreds of women from around the world — have taken the time to write me and tell me their own story," Greene-Placentia said.

She added that many survivors who contacted her said they never reported their experiences.

"I would say about 70% of them have acknowledged that they never reported it, and they are thanking me for being in the public eye and talking about it and giving voice because they didn't feel like they had a voice when they went through the same thing," Greene-Placentia said.

Greene-Placentia said she initially struggled with whether to discuss the incident publicly. She later decided to speak after reflecting on her role as a candidate.

"Do you think anybody's gonna fight harder than me?" Greene-Placentia said.

She described questioning herself about advocating for others while remaining silent about her own experience.

"Well you're telling these folks that you're gonna fight for them, but what about all the women that are victims of sexual assault? Are you not gonna fight for them? That kind of makes you a hypocrite, Bernadette," Greene-Placentia said.

Greene-Placentia said she wants other survivors to know they can seek support and avoid blaming themselves after an assault.

"As women, we want to take responsibility for everything and blame ourselves, and that is a societal problem we've got to get away from," Greene-Placentia said.

Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh, Greene-Placentia's opponent in the November election, called for authorities to investigate the allegations. He represents Arizona's 8th District, which is considered strongly Republican by the Cook Political Report.

"Disturbing story," Hamadeh said in response to the allegations.

Hamadeh also called for officials to gather evidence related to the case.

"No American should become a victim of a crime in their own community," Hamadeh said.

The sheriff's office said it was investigating the incident but declined to provide additional details. Greene-Placentia has said she does not know whether the attack was politically motivated.