As midterm elections near, the desperation of some candidates has prompted campaign workers to bend, dance on, and flat-out break the law. One Minnesota candidate is backpedaling after a “desperate” Democratic Party volunteer was seen tampering with the mail in order to sabotage their opponent.
The Hibbing Police Department in Hibbing, Minn., is investigating a woman seen on video apparently putting a Democratic political flyer into a mailbox and removing a Republican message.
In the video posted by self-described Minnesota political expert Dustin Grage, a volunteer appears to place a Ben DeNucci for Senate flyer in the homeowner’s mailbox and takes out what he described as a Pete Stauber mailer.
Ben DeNucci for Senate campaign caught not only lit dropping into mailboxes, but stealing a Pete Stauber mailer from someone’s home.
These are of course federal offenses.
This seat is a big pickup opportunity for Republicans with a great candidate in @RobFarnsworthMN running. pic.twitter.com/nznjVEQV8e
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 16, 2022
Removing mail from another’s mailbox is a crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Pete Stauber mailer being stolen. pic.twitter.com/v7oMvrF4zV
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 16, 2022
“The Hibbing Police Department received a report of a female individual taking mail from a mailbox while putting in what appears to be a flyer over this past weekend,” Hibbing PD said in a statement. “The individual is in the process of being identified. This is an open and ongoing investigation. Future information will be made as to the progress of the investigation at its conclusion.”
UPDATE: Hibbing Police have released this press release today.
“The individual is in the process of
being identified. This is an open and ongoing investigation. Future information will be made as to the
progress of the investigation at its conclusion.” pic.twitter.com/wa8Cb2AzWM— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 17, 2022
“It is a shame that Democrats would resort to these kinds of tactics,” said Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman David Hann, in response to the desperate Democratic Party volunteer seen tampering with the mail. “The fact that Democrats stole mail intended to educate voters about Congressman Pete Stauber’s record shows just how desperate they are.”
The GOP called on DeNucci to step up and identify the person in the video.
“In addition, the Republican Party of Minnesota intends to report this incident of mail theft to the United States Postal Service for their investigation as well,” Hann said. “Minnesota’s voters deserve better than these kind of underhanded campaign tactics, and will reject them by electing Robert Farnsworth to the State Senate on Nov. 8.”
Stauber’s team denounced the underhanded tactics, claiming Democrats are flailing in the wind and desperate for a foothold.
“Democrats have nothing to offer voters and are now resorting to the lowest of tactics,” said Stauber for Congress Campaign Manager Johnny Eloranta. “We hope the Democrats will come clean and cooperate with law enforcement because the citizens of our district deserve nothing less.”
DeNucci issued a statement and said police had been notified.
This weekend a person distributing my campaign literature allegedly removed another candidate’s literature from a residence mailbox. Tampering with mailboxes is wrong, illegal, and not sanctioned by our campaign. I have informed Hibbing Police we are aware and stand by to assist.
— Ben DeNucci (@Ben_DeNucci) October 17, 2022
DeNucci’s camp said the woman is not affiliated with their campaign.
“As soon as I was made aware that a person distributing my campaign literature had allegedly removed another candidate’s literature, I immediately went to work to identify the individual and circumstances surrounding this incident,” DeNucci said in a statement. “Within several hours I learned that the individual was a volunteer from outside the area and not affiliated with our campaign. This person had not undergone the training we require of all of our volunteers, and had acted on their own without any knowledge or direction from our campaign.”
DeNucci’s team encouraged the individual to reach out to the police, he said.
“From the first day I announced my run for office I have been committed to clean campaigning and to fair and unobstructed elections,” DeNucci said. “Tampering with mailboxes while canvassing is wrong, illegal, and not sanctioned by our campaign in any way. While this incident was not the work of one of our own volunteers, I regret that it happened at all. I have instructed my team to take additional precautions to ensure nothing similar happens again, including providing more rigorous training for any person who volunteers for my campaign.”
Democrats were also under fire in Pennsylvania for underhanded and dangerous campaign tactics.
The Upper Makefield Police Department confiscated several campaign signs promoting Democrats John Fetterman, running for U.S. Senate; Josh Shapiro, running for governor, and Ashley Ehasz, running for U.S. House of Representatives that had been placed in a resident’s yard without permission and were found to be rigged with razor blades to prevent removal.
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