Suspect Arrested For Breaking Into Arizona Democratic Gov. Candidate’s Office

Topline

A man was arrested Thursday after allegedly breaking into Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaign office, police announced Thursday, a crime that the Democratic candidate has linked to ongoing threats of voter intimidation and allegations of fraud in the state ahead of the midterm elections.

Key Facts

Phoenix Police arrested 36-year-old Daniel Mota Dos Reis in connection with a burglary at Hobbs’ campaign headquarters.

The campaign and local police announced Wednesday a break-in had taken place on Tuesday, with police saying in a statement only that “items were taken from the property sometime during the night.”

Hobbs’ campaign blamed supporters of Kari Lake, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, for the break-in in a statement Wednesday, saying Lake and her allies “have been spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit.”

Attacks on elected officials and voter intimidation threats “are the direct result of a concerted campaign of lies and intimidation,” the Hobbs campaign said.

Lake responded to the allegations earlier on Thursday, calling them “absolutely absurd” and “despicable” and that the situation “sounds like a Jussie Smollett part two.”

Big Number

45.7%. That’s the share of voters who say they’ll support Hobbs in the gubernatorial race on average as of Thursday, according to an aggregate of polls in the race compiled by FiveThirtyEight. Lake is leading Hobbs in the polls, earning 48.5% support on average.

Chief Critic

“I can’t believe she would blame my amazing people for that, why she would blame me,” Lake said Thursday about Hobbs pointing the finger at her campaign for the burglary. “I don’t even know where her campaign office is.”

Key Background

The break-in at Hobbs’ office comes amid concerns about voter intimidation and harassment in Arizona as voting in the midterms has gotten underway, which Hobbs has also overseen in her role as secretary of state. Hobbs has referred at least six cases of alleged voter intimidation and harassment of an election worker to the state Attorney General and U.S. Department of Justice in recent days, her office announced, including reports of voters being recorded, photographed and followed by a vehicle after casting their ballots at a drop box. Two lawsuits have now been separately filed by voter advocacy organizations seeking court orders to stop grassroots groups and individuals from intimidating voters, alleging group members have harassed voters at ballot drop boxes, and in some cases have been “armed and wearing tactical gear.” While no allegations have been directly linked to Lake’s campaign, the right-wing candidate has made false claims of election fraud in the 2020 election and refused to explicitly confirm she’ll accept the results if she loses her race. In a tweet posted in July, Lake posted a photo of a ballot drop box that warned, “We are watching drop boxes throughout the state.”

Further Reading

Arrest made in connection to burglary of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs’ campaign HQ (CNN)

Break-in at Arizona governor candidate Katie Hobbs’ campaign office in Phoenix; several items taken (Arizona Republic)

Top Arizona election official refers more cases of potential voter intimidation to law enforcement (NBC News)

More Than 40% Of Americans Worried About Voter Intimidation In Midterms, Poll Finds (Forbes)