Tammy Caputi, a Jewish Democrat who served on the Scottsdale City Council and is now running for the Arizona state House, said on Wednesday that her campaign received antisemitic death threats.
Sergeant Allison Sempsis, public information officer for the Scottsdale Police Department, told JNS on Thursday that the department “was notified of a reported threat directed toward the Caputi campaign over the weekend, as well as an additional message received yesterday.”
“A report was taken regarding the initial threat, and the investigation remains ongoing,” she said. “Detectives are actively following up on investigative leads to help determine the source of the threat.”
Caputi stated that her campaign “received explicit death threats, including antisemitic threats against me and my entire family.”
“This has gone too far,” she said.
One message stated, “I will f***ing kill you and your entire family bloodline you f***ing understand you dumb Jew,” and another stated, “If you keep running for office, I will come to your house and you will regret it. Watch your back,” according to the campaign.
“I knew that running for public office would come with criticism and political disagreements,” Caputi stated. “What I never imagined was having to worry about the safety of my daughters, my family and the volunteers who believe in our campaign.”
“Words have consequences. When political attacks turn personal and hateful rhetoric goes unchecked, it can create an environment where threats and intimidation thrive,” she said.
Rep. Alma Hernandez (D-Ariz.), who endorsed Caputi, stated that she has also “received death threats for being Jewish” and is “angry that Tammy Caputi was targeted for daring to run and for being a Jew.”
