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Jimmy Williams
Police are investigating an incident of gunfire damage at a Democratic Party-coordinated campaign office in Tempe, just days before Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit the state for her presidential campaign. The office, which also serves the Arizona Democratic Party and other key political campaigns, was found damaged on the morning of September 23, 2024.
Tempe police confirmed the discovery in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday. “We can confirm that on 9/23/24, what appears to be damage from gunfire at a DNC Campaign Office was discovered,” the statement read.
Sean McEnerney, the campaign manager for Arizona’s Democratic Party, confirmed that several shots were fired into the office. Fortunately, no one was present during the incident, and no injuries were reported. “Overnight, several shots were fired into our Tempe Democratic Party coordinated campaign office,” McEnerney said in a statement.
The targeted office serves as a crucial hub for the Harris campaign and other Democratic candidates working to boost turnout for the upcoming November election. Patty Socarras, the communications director for the Arizona Democratic Party, noted that the office is one of 18 field offices for Harris’ campaign in the state.
Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, is set to return to Arizona on Friday, marking her second visit since a rally in Glendale in early August. During that event, Harris focused heavily on immigration issues, proposing solutions to bolster border security and create pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Sources familiar with her schedule suggest that she may visit the border during her upcoming trip, though her campaign has not confirmed this.
The incident of gunfire comes at a critical time for Arizona Democrats, as they work to mobilize voters in what has become a pivotal battleground state. In 2020, President Joe Biden narrowly won Arizona by approximately 10,000 votes, and Democrats are hoping to replicate that success in the upcoming election.
Tempe, home to Arizona State University (ASU), will be especially critical for Harris. With nearly 57,000 students enrolled at ASU last year, this demographic could play a key role in determining the election outcome. Earlier in the campaign, Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., a prominent advocate for gun control, held a campaign event in Tempe, where he addressed gun violence and its impact on young voters.
“We still have to work at ending gun violence,” Frost said during the August event, referencing the 2017 Parkland school shooting in Florida. “We can work at creating a community where people don’t feel the need to use a gun to solve their problems in the first place.”
The Harris campaign’s focus on issues like gun violence, affordable housing, and immigration continues to resonate with voters, particularly in Arizona’s college towns like Tempe. As investigations into the gunfire incident continue, both local and national attention remains fixed on Arizona ahead of the November election.
