Oklahoma Democrat Larry Bush is running for the State Senate, but after a debate hosted by Lawton ABC affiliate KSWO, the former University of Oklahoma defensive back had a break-in at his office.
Bush, who shares his campaign office with his insurance agency, had the glass door broken, papers sifted through, and strew about. Photos given to Raw Story by the campaign show cash sitting on the floor and computers still on the desk. The campaign said "nothing of value was stolen."
“As a former OU defensive back, I’ve taken and delivered harder shots than this, but it is certainly disturbing that some extremists will go to such great lengths to try and intimidate people in order to seize and hold onto power,” Bush said in a release.
“To the small and petty people who performed this act, be very aware that I won’t be intimidated, because protecting education and removing corruption is more important than a few broken windows and damaged furniture.”
The campaign explained that the incident happened "immediately following a televised debate," leading Bush to believe it was politically motivated.
“Our community is better than this, and I trust law enforcement will bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.
Bush's insurance agency has been open for over 20 years.
"Following his impressive televised debate performance, it's clear Mr. Bush got under somebody's skin. Our caucus condemns these acts of extremism and calls on our Republican colleagues to do the same," said Senator Julia Kirt (D-OKC).
Bush is running in a special election in State Senate District 32 in a Democratic primary, which will be held Oct. 10. The final election will be held Dec. 12, 2023.
A police report was filed and Bush's friends have pitched in to help fix up the office.
More information can be found at Bush's site.
Bush is far from the first Democratic candidate to face violence. During the 2022 cycle, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D-AZ), who was running for governor, had her office broken into just a week before the election. She faced bomb threats, voicemail threats and other attacks.
In Arkansas, county judges were threatened. In Florida, it was a school board member. In Indiana, it was a state Supreme Court Justice. TIME compiled a list before the 2022 election about the ongoing threats politicians are facing.
See the photos below or at the link here.
