Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) encouraged one of his Democratic challengers Tuesday night following reports that she had faced a stream of hateful comments for being Muslim.
“Hang in there [Deedra Abboud]. Sorry you have to put up with this. Lots of wonderful people across AZ. You’ll find them,” Flake tweeted.
Abboud, who is running in the Democratic primary for Flake’s seat in 2018, has faced a barrage of hateful comments about being Muslim.
“Get out stinking Muslim,” one user wrote on a Facebook post by Abboud.
“BAN ISLAM IN THE USA…WE HATE YOUR FILTHY DEATH CULT,” another user wrote.
A spokeswoman for Abboud told Arizona Central that police have escorted her to events in response to the hate mail and comments.
Abboud, a Phoenix attorney, is running against at least two other candidates in the Democratic primary.
Arizona is a red state, and the last Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the state was Dennis DeConcini in 1988.
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source: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/342660-gop-senator-defends-dem-challenger-who-was-attacked-for-being-muslim