House candidate who reported rape on campaign trail on why she came forward: “What about all the women who are victims?”

October 10, 2026 / 5:30 PM EDT / CBS News

In the days since U.S. House candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia publicly came forward alleging she was raped over the summer while repairing a campaign sign, she says women have been reaching out to her to share their own stories.

"The humbling thing is that so many – hundreds and hundreds of women from around the world — have taken the time to write me and tell me their own story," Greene-Placentia told CBS News in an interview. "I would say about 70% of them have acknowledged that they never reported it, and they are thanking me for being in the public eye and talking about it and giving voice because they didn't feel like they had a voice when they went through the same thing."

Greene-Placentia, a Democrat, is facing freshman Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh on the ballot in November in Arizona's 8th District, located in the Phoenix suburbs. The district is rated as solidly Republican by Cook Political Report.

The reported sexual assault happened amid a heated campaign season, as concerns about political violence swirl. At a rally in September, an armed man lunged at Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/