Democrats close campaign offices in must-win state after shootings

The Democratic Party has reportedly closed a campaign office in Tempe, Arizona, after it was attacked three times overnight last month.

Speaking to USA Today, Lauren Kuby, a Democratic candidate for state Senate, confirmed that the office had been closed and its operations moved to other undisclosed locations. The newspaper reported that the office had been hit by bullets and pellet guns overnight three times in as many weeks. The office was closed and empty at the time of all three incidents and there were no reports of injuries.

Concerns about political violence in the United States increased after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, in which the Republican presidential candidate was slightly injured in one ear and one attendee was killed. In a separate incident in September, a man named Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested after he allegedly pointed a rifle through the fence at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He pleaded not guilty to several charges, including the attempted assassination of a key presidential candidate.

The Arizona Democratic campaign office affected by the shooting was on Southern Avenue, west of Priest Drive. The three shootings occurred on September 16, September 23 and October 6. All three incidents are being investigated by the Tempe Police Department, which is offering a $1,000 reward from Silent Witness for any information leading to the arrest or indictment of a suspect.

In a statement regarding the recent incident, a spokesperson for the Tempe Police Department said: “On [October 6] Around 12:30 p.m., the Democratic National Committee campaign office was apparently struck by gunfire. Nobody was in the building. This is the third incident at the campaign office.

Silent Witness said the shootings involved “air rifle and firearm rounds”, adding: “All three incidents occurred between 12pm and 1am. Investigators are asking for assistance with these incidents.”

A flyer created by Silent Witness and distributed by Tempe police includes a photo of a potential suspect’s car, described as “possibly a 2008-2013 silver Toyota Highlander with a sunroof, roof rack and 5-spoke wheels.” The organization also released a photo from the aftermath of the Oct. 6 shooting that appeared to show a bullet hall in the window of the Democratic Party office.

Newsweek contacted the Arizona Democratic Party via email outside of regular office hours on Saturday seeking comment.

In conversation with Newsweek After the second shooting on September 23, Sean McEnerney, the campaign manager coordinated by the Arizona Democratic National Committee, said: “Several shots were fired overnight into our campaign office coordinated by the Democratic Party in Tempe.”

“We are grateful to the Tempe Police Department for arriving quickly on the scene and are fortunate that no one was present or injured.”

Arizona is one of the key battleground states that will decide who wins the 2024 presidential election. The state supported Trump in 2016 before switching allegiance to Joe Biden in 2020. A recent survey by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, conducted by The Wall Street Journal put Harris at 48 percent versus 46 percent for Trump.