PHOENIX—A shadowy right-wing group has launched a “scary” vigilante campaign in the battleground state of Arizona that has attracted police attention and put Democratic leaders and voters on edge just days before midterm elections.
The anonymous group, which calls itself “Ben Sent Us,” a reference to Ben Franklin, has mailed out threatening letters en masse to more than a dozen county-level Democratic Party chairpersons in the state, vowing that members “will be locating your homes” and warning that those who are seen as allowing election fraud “will be considered a traitor and dealt with accordingly, as will you.” Ordinary residents in the state have also reported being targeted with ominous election fliers that warn someone is “watching” them.
It’s unclear who’s behind the propaganda campaign, but law enforcement agencies are taking the threats seriously after armed men in masks and tactical gear intimidated, filmed, and followed scared voters outside a ballot drop box in Maricopa County last week.
