Katie Hobbs, Kari Lake release statements on campaign HQ burglary

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix police have made an arrest in connection with a burglary at the campaign headquarters for Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor.

Hobbs, who is the current Arizona Secretary of State, shared a statement on the campaign office burglary Thursday afternoon.

In the Tweet, Hobbs mentions a statement made earlier by Republican opponent Kari Lake, in which Lake said the burglary was staged by the Hobbs campaign.

"Arizona is one of the top states for threats to election officials and poll workers," Hobbs shared in the statement. "Public officials and candidates for office are harassed regularly, and armed vigilantes stand near ballot drop boxes, aiming to intimidate voters."

In a press conference on Wednesday, Lake responded to her opponent.

"While I'm meeting with police officers and firefighters working to make sure our state is safe, she's pulling stunts," she said.

She condemns the media for spreading the story.

"She puts out a statement about a petty theft and she knows darn well that it wasn't me," she said. "And right away, your gatekeepers at the Arizona Democratic Party jump on it, put a statement out on it and it was the cue to you to start going with it."

Lake said she hopes misinformation stops.

"Blaming me for a break in but hopefully by now you've figured it out but that's part of the plan," she said. "You don't care about the facts and you know the facts will come out later."

Read Hobbs' full statement below:

Instances of voter intimidation have manifested recently in the form of threatening letters and 'ballot watchers.'

Both Governor Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich have issued statements condemning the reported acts of voter intimidation in the state.

Police did not release the person's name or say whether they believe the crime was politically motivated. Sergeant Phil Krynsky said more information would be released later Thursday.

Hobbs' campaign manager Nicole DeMont has said items were taken during the burglary Tuesday afternoon, but the campaign has declined to say what is missing.

Hobbs is in a tight race against Republican Kari Lake, a former television news anchor. She has received death threats stemming from falsehoods over the 2020 election in Arizona, which she oversaw as secretary of state.

Lake gave a press conference this afternoon, Oct. 27, condemning media outlets for focusing on the burglary of Hobbs' office, and using a statement from the Arizona Democratic party with "absolutely no fact-checking."

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