A Democratic congressional candidate in Arizona says she was sexually assaulted by two men while repairing campaign signs in a Sun City parking lot, an attack she believes may have been politically motivated.
Bernadette Greene-Placentia, who is challenging Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, told the Phoenix New Times that the assault occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on a Friday as she approached a damaged campaign sign. She said an attacker struck her in the head, knocking her unconscious. When she regained consciousness, a man was sexually assaulting her.
Greene-Placentia said she heard the attacker make a derogatory remark that she interpreted as “Democratic bitch,” although she acknowledged she could not remember his exact words. A second man approached and attempted to spread her legs before leaving after she kicked at him. Both men fled, leaving her in the parking lot.
The candidate said she has little memory of what happened afterward, including how she returned to her vehicle and drove home. She believes she suffered a concussion but did not seek medical treatment. According to a police report cited by the newspaper, she suffered extensive bruising and experienced vaginal bleeding for three days.
Greene-Placentia, a former long-haul truck driver, said she had routinely repaired campaign signs overnight to avoid Arizona’s summer heat and daytime traffic. Her husband and campaign staff noticed unusual behavior in the days following the alleged assault, including severe headaches, nausea and emotional distress.
She initially resisted reporting the incident out of embarrassment and a desire to forget what happened. After confiding in campaign staff and her husband, she eventually contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office more than two weeks after the attack.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing but declined to discuss its status. No arrests were reported in the newspaper’s account, and investigators have not publicly established a political motive.
Greene-Placentia said she ultimately decided to come forward because she wanted to encourage other sexual assault victims to speak out.
“I need to let women know that it’s okay to talk about it,” she said. “We’re asking people to stand up and donate or volunteer. We’re asking those folks to be uncomfortable, as Secretary Fontes says; then I have to be willing to be uncomfortable too.”
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