Police in Phoenix said Wednesday that they are investigating a burglary at Katie Hobbs‘ campaign headquarters, the Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona.
According to a police spokesperson, officers responded to a call about a break-in Tuesday afternoon and discovered that items had been taken from the office the night before. Details about the stolen property were not immediately available.
According to police, no suspects have been identified, and detectives are reviewing security cameras to “identify and locate the subject involved.”
Democrats quickly blamed Hobbs’ Republican opponent, Trump-backed Kari Lake, claiming she was directly responsible for the break-in.
“Make no mistake, this is a direct result of Kari Lake and fringe Republicans spreading lies, hatred, and inciting violence — and it is despicable,” the Arizona Democratic Party said in a tweet.
I was contacted for comment. Lake’s campaign fired back at Democrats who claimed responsibility for the break-in on Wednesday night.
“We definitely don’t know anything about it, so it’s just a bunch of allegations,” said Ross Trumble, a campaign spokesman.
The burglary comes amid reports of voter intimidation in Arizona, where Hobbs serves as Secretary of State. Her office announced on Monday that it had referred additional cases to the state attorney general’s office and the U.S. Justice Department for further investigation.
Hobbs’ campaign manager linked reports of alleged voter intimidation to Lake and other election deniers in a statement released Wednesday.
“Let’s be clear: Kari Lake and her allies have been spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit for nearly two years. Threats against Arizonans exercising their constitutional rights, as well as attacks on elected officials, are the direct result of a coordinated campaign of lies and intimidation, according to Nicole DeMont in a statement.
“Hobbs and her staff have faced hundreds of death threats and violent threats over the course of this campaign,” she added.
