The campaign headquarters of the Republican Party candidate for governor of the U.S. state of Arizona, Kari Lake, received an envelope containing a «suspicious white powder» on Saturday, a spokesman for Lake’s own campaign told CNN.
One of the campaign workers opened the envelope. «This and another envelope have been confiscated by law enforcement and sent to Quantico for analysis. We are awaiting details,» a campaign spokesman, Colton Duncan, has indicated. «The worker is under medical supervision right now,» he added.
Phoenix Police have confirmed to CNN that they responded to a call made from the intersection of 40th Street and Camelback Street. «Upon arrival, officers found a suspicious object inside the envelope.
Troopers were dispatched to collect these items and secure the area. There are no reports of injuries and the investigation remains open,» said a police spokesman, Sgt. Phil Krynsky. CNN has requested more information from the Phoenix headquarters of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Lake campaign has explained that they take «the threat incredibly seriously» and thanked the authorities for investigating what happened.
«We know our resolve has never been greater and we cannot be intimidated. We continue at full speed to win Tuesday’s elections,» Duncan stressed in reference to next Tuesday’s state elections, which coincide with the mid-term elections in which the federal House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are renewed.
Arizona has been one of the states with the most incidents of threats of political violence against both Democratic and Republican leaders. Lake’s opponent, Katie Hobbs, has condemned this incident.
«It is tremendously troubling and I am thankful that she and her staff were not injured,» Hobbs’ campaign has indicated. «Political violence, threats and intimidation have no place in our democracy. I strongly condemn this threatening behavior toward Lake and her staff,» it added. Last month an individual was arrested after violently breaking into Hobbs’ campaign headquarters.
