An Arizona Democratic House candidate has reported that she was attacked and sexually assaulted in August while attempting to fix one of her campaign signs.
Bernadette Greene-Placentia, the nominee for the 8th Congressional District, shared with The Phoenix New Times that she was knocked unconscious in a parking lot in Sun City while working on the damaged sign late at night.
She awoke to find a man assaulting her, with her pants partially removed.
When a second man approached with intentions to assault her as well, she fought back and he left, muttering “not even worth it.”
The long-haul truck driver mentioned that during the assault, her attacker referred to her derogatorily.
Greene-Placentia, who is running against the incumbent Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (R-Ariz.), explained that she often ventured out at night to fix the signs, sometimes accompanied by her husband, to escape the intense heat of the day.
Wearing a campaign shirt at the time, Greene-Placentia speculated that her attacker may have used the words “Democratic bitch,” although she isn’t certain. Her memory after the assault is hazy, including how she returned home.
“It’s just these little tiny flashes of things that I do remember,” she recounted. “As much as I don’t want to remember, I’ve tried very, very hard to remember more stuff. But that’s where I’m at.”
Greene-Placentia disclosed the incident to her husband and staff two days later after isolating herself at home and feeling “missing in action.” She waited an additional two weeks to notify authorities, feeling embarrassed about what happened.
“I just wanted to forget it,” she said.
The assault took place early on August 14, according to her campaign. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that her report was filed on August 31 but did not release further details due to an ongoing investigation.
Greene-Placentia’s campaign has yet to respond to requests for comments.
A police report reviewed by the New Times indicated that Greene-Placentia experienced vaginal bleeding for three days following the attack, and she described going through periods of crying and anger.
“I need to let women know that it’s okay to talk about it,” she explained about her choice to publicly share her experience. “We’re asking people to stand up and donate or volunteer. We’re asking those folks to be uncomfortable … then I have to be willing to be uncomfortable too.”
