Democratic House candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia reported that she was raped while fixing a campaign sign in the early hours of the morning.
According to an interview with Phoenix New Times, Greene-Placentia was in a parking lot at 2 a.m. en route to the sign when she was hit on the head and lost consciousness. When she came to, she found herself being assaulted by a stranger.
As she regained awareness, she felt intense pain in her lower body while the man was attacking her.
While still lying there, she claimed that another man approached her and started to spread her legs, although he ultimately stopped.
Greene-Placentia recounted that as the two men left, she noticed music playing in her running car but couldn’t recall how she got home afterward.
“I have these little flashes of things I remember,” she shared. “I really wish I could forget, but I find myself trying really hard to recall more.”
In the aftermath, Greene-Placentia expressed a desire to move on, stating she wanted to forget the attack, especially since her body bore visible bruises, and she suspected she had suffered a concussion.
She felt hesitant to report the assault due to feelings of embarrassment, distancing herself from her husband and campaign staff.
A few days later, she confided in her campaign team and, the next day, her husband. Two weeks after the incident, she also reported it to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Her husband recalled, “I talked to her a couple of times. I can still remember saying, ‘Something’s off. You’re acting weird.’”
Her campaign manager noted a change in her behavior, saying Greene-Placentia had been “missing in action” for several days post-assault.
In the weeks following the attack, Greene-Placentia coped by adopting an angry attitude.
“I want a rematch. I want to confront them. I want to go on TV and say, ‘Let’s do it again, but don’t sneak up on me,’” she recalled expressing to her husband and campaign manager. “I know this might sound a bit crazy, but I was just so angry.”
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego expressed his heartbreak upon hearing about the incident, emphasizing that “We cannot tolerate political or sexual violence in any form.”
