Arizona congressional candidate claims she was raped and believes it may have been a politically motivated attack.

A Democratic congressional candidate in Arizona said she was raped in August while repairing campaign signs along a road in the Phoenix metro area, and she believes the attack may have been politically motivated.

Bernadette Greene-Placentia, 52, told the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office that she was returning to her car around 2 a.m. Aug. 14 in Sun City when she was punched in the back of the head and raped by a man, according to an incident report obtained by NBC News. She said a second man also got on top of her before she tried to push him off.

Greene-Placentia, who is challenging Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, reported the alleged assault to authorities on Aug. 31, more than two weeks after she said it happened. Greene-Placentia told police she thought her attackers recognized her as a political figure, according to the incident report.

She told NBC News on Wednesday that she remembered hearing one of the suspects say “ick b—-,” which she said in her head filled with “Democrat b—-.”

“Bernadette also recalled one of the suspects saying ‘an asshole Democrat’ at one point during the incident, but she did not elaborate or recall when that may have been said,” the incident report states.

Greene-Placentia told NBC News she had little memory of the moments leading up to the attack and did not hear anyone approach her. She said she was hit on the back of the head in a way that left a “huge dent.”

When she regained consciousness on the ground, she said, a man was sexually assaulting her. She said she then tried to fight off a second man.

Greene-Placentia said the second man said, “You’re right, she’s not worth it” before leaving, according to the incident report. She added that she does not remember the men’s faces or their appearance.

“I don’t know how long I was there. I don’t think it was very long,” she said. “And then I remember looking up, I guess I turned around and my car was only ten feet away.”

“All I remember is their feet, their pant leg,” she later added. “It’s frustrating.”

Her campaign manager confirmed to NBC News that Greene-Placentia and other campaign participants often go out in the middle of the night to repair and install campaign signs to avoid the heat and traffic.

Greene-Placentia said she returned home after the alleged attack, but did not remember the drive. According to the incident report, she did not seek medical attention or undergo a forensic examination for sexual assault. She told police she took three showers and a bath immediately after the sexual assault.

She told NBC News that she initially kept the incident to herself because she was embarrassed that she couldn’t defend herself — especially given the years she spent learning to protect herself when she was a long-haul truck driver.

“I’ll tell you, I have pretty good knowledge of the situation,” she said. “You’re not a woman in trucking without being aware of your surroundings. Someone was pretty quiet, and he snuck up behind me and hit me in the back of the head.”

Greene-Placentia said she told her husband and his communications coordinator about the assault two to three days later, according to the incident report. Her husband and communications coordinator told Phoenix New Times how she told them what happened.

“I never imagined something like that would happen just, you know, miles from home, and I was embarrassed. Like, ‘Oh my God, I couldn’t defend myself,'” she said. “So I didn’t want to tell anyone.”

Her owner, who asked to remain anonymous out of respect for her privacy, told NBC News that she encountered an “extremely shaken” Greene-Placentia a few days after the alleged incident in the driveway as she left to eat with a friend. She recalled that Greene-Placentia was “visibly shaking” and “appeared to have difficulty remaining standing.”

“I asked him, ‘Are you okay?’ At that moment, I saw her visibly pull herself together and change her attitude,” the owner said. “She told me she was upset by the lack of support she felt she was receiving from the Democratic Party. We had a brief conversation about it as she pulled into the garage to get to her apartment.”

The owner added that she remembered being struck by Greene-Placentia’s shaken appearance and didn’t know what caused the reaction. She added that she did not want to speculate about his state of mind or anything she had not witnessed personally.

“I worry about Bernadette and treating her with dignity and respect as she goes through an extraordinarily difficult experience,” she said. “I hope the focus remains on his welfare and the need to allow the relevant authorities to carry out their work. »

Greene-Placentia told NBC News that she finally decided to contact authorities after giving a campaign speech to a group of seniors and found herself thinking about her promise to advocate for others.

“I can’t look people in the eye and say I’m going to fight for them if I’m not willing to fight for everyone,” she said.

Greene-Placentia said the alleged attack also left her with bruises on her back and arms, and she had what appeared to be fingerprints where someone grabbed her. She told police she did not take photos of the bump on the back of her head or the bruising, the incident report states. She said the bruising was still visible at the time she spoke to investigators, but they did not take photos.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News on Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing. The office did not immediately respond to a request for an update or whether any suspects had been identified Thursday.

The attorney general’s office declined to comment, telling NBC News it was not involved in that investigation.

Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, responded to the news Wednesday evening, writing on X that he was “heartbroken” and calling on those responsible to be held accountable. In a statement from her office, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said she was “outraged” by this alleged “cruel and cowardly attack, and it has no place in Arizona.”

“No one should have to fear for their safety or the safety of the people they love while serving their community,” the statement said. “Violence of any kind, against anyone, will not be tolerated in our state. Our hearts go out to Bernadette and her loved ones.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), can connect you with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN’s online chat service at rainn.org/get-help.