Shots have been fired at Kamala Harris’s Arizona campaign office, police say. The office is located in Tempe, and officers there confirmed it is the second time the Vice President’s campaign has been targeted with violence in the Grand Canyon State. On September 16, the same office was shot at with a pellet gun. Public Information Officer Sgt. Ryan Cook said nobody was present in the building on either occasion, but the attacks raised concerns about the safety of staff and other workers nearby.
The Tempe Police Department said investigations are ongoing and that they will look into a variety of possible motives.
In the wake of the latest attack, staff arrived to find two bullet holes in the external door and two more in the windows. It is one of 18 Harris campaign offices in Arizona and is also used by Democratic Senate and House election teams. The attack occurred days before the Vice President was due to visit Arizona, a crucial battleground state. Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano issued a statement saying it was “extremely sad” that politics had descended to a place of violence, adding, “It’s not who we are as Arizonans or Americans.”
Analysts say America is in the midst of unprecedented political violence, including two attempts on former President Donald Trump’s life. Officials across the spectrum, including district attorneys, judges, and local government staffers, have faced threats from both sides of the political divide in recent years. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, for instance, who brought charges against Trump in New York, reportedly received more than 60 death threats.
Donald Trump’s entry into politics appears to have boosted violence justifications from both his supporters and opponents. In a June survey by Chicago media, 10% of respondents said the violence was justified to keep Trump out of the White House, while 6.8% said it was justified to get him back in.
Claire Woodall-Vogg of the Milwaukee election commission said politics has changed dramatically, and people are now looking over their shoulders like never before. “You used to be able to walk up to a desk, reach across, shake somebody’s hand, and now we have shatterproof glass and panic buttons and things like that,” she stated.
