Phoenix police said Wednesday they are investigating a burglary at the campaign headquarters of Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona.
A police spokesperson said officers responded to a call about a break-in Tuesday afternoon and determined that items had been taken from the office Monday night. Details about the property that was taken were not immediately available.
No suspects have been identified, according to police, who said detectives were reviewing security cameras to “identify and locate the subject involved.”
Democrats were quick to point the finger at Hobbs’ GOP 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 and hate and inciting violence — and it is despicable,” the Arizona Democratic Party said in a statement on Twitter.
Reached for comment Wednesday night, Lake’s campaign shot back at Democrats who said they were responsible for the break-in.
“We definitely don’t know anything about it, so it’s a lot of allegations they’re just throwing around,” said Ross Trumble, a spokesman for the campaign.
The burglary comes amid reports of voter intimidation in Arizona, where Hobbs, as secretary of state, is the top election official. On Monday, her office said it had referred more cases to the state attorney general’s office and the U.S. Justice Department for further investigation.
In a statement Wednesday, Hobbs’ campaign manager tied the reports of alleged voter intimidation to Lake and other election deniers.
“Let’s be clear: for nearly two years Kari Lake and her allies have been spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit. The threats against Arizonans attempting to exercise their constitutional rights and their attacks on elected officials are the direct result of a concerted campaign of lies and intimidation,” Nicole DeMont said in a statement.
She added that “Hobbs and her staff have faced hundreds of death threats and threats of violence over the course of this campaign.”
Vaughn Hillyard contributed.