An Arizona congressional candidate said Thursday she was sexually assaulted while fixing campaign signs in her district in August.
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Bernadette Greene-Placentia, the Democratic nominee in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, says she was fixing the signs in Sun City, Arizona, early on Aug. 14 when two men attacked her from behind and sexually assaulted her in a parking lot.
She reported the incident to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 31. The office declined to comment pending its investigation.
Greene-Placentia, a long-haul trucker and small business owner, said she was speaking publicly about it to support other women who have experienced sexual violence.
“I never imagined I would have to tell this story, but I know I am far from the only woman who has lived through something like this,” she said in a statement.
“Too many survivors carry these experiences silently,” she said. “I am speaking out because I want them to know they are seen, they are heard, and they are not alone.”
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She said she would continue her campaign. She’s challenging Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (R), who won the district by 13 percentage points in 2024.
Hamadeh, a former Maricopa County prosecutor, called for a thorough investigation.
“No American should become a victim of a crime in their own community,” he said in a statement Thursday.
Greene-Placentia first recounted her experience in a story published by the Phoenix New Times on Wednesday. Her disclosure follows reports of an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, the details of which have spurred conversations about how sexual assault cases are handled.
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