Days after an intruder brutally attacked Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, at his home, another intruder has assaulted a Pennsylvania Democratic candidate, this time in his backyard.
Richard Ringer, running for a state House seat in Fayette County, was left unconscious Monday morning after a man hit him 10–12 times in the head around 5:00 am, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"He was larger than I am and he pinned me down on my left side," 69-year-old Ringer said. "He hit me 10 to 12 times in the head, in the face, and by the eye, and he knocked me out."
Once Ringer came to, he called 911 — the third time in two weeks for what appears to be election-related crimes against him. In one of the earlier incidents, someone had vandalized his garage door with words that included, "your race" and "dead." In the other, a brick was hurled through one of his windows.
Unfortunately, Ringer wasn't able to give a detailed description of yesterday's attacker.
From the Post-Gazette:
Democrat Richard Ringer said he was bloodied and knocked unconscious by an attacker in his backyard around 5 a.m. …
Mr. Ringer said his hands were bloodied and his faced bruised from the attack.
Mr. Ringer said he couldn't provide police with much of a description of the man.
Mr. Ringer has also had two incidents of vandalism to his home that have occurred within the last two weeks. One, a threatening apparently election-related message spray-painted on his garage door and the other a brick thrown through a storm door window. The spray-painted message was partially washed off by the rain by the time Mr. Ringer saw it, but what was left clearly visible were the words "your race" and "dead."
Taken together, Mr. Ringer said he can't help but be suspicious that the three incidents within three weeks of the general election are related to his candidacy, especially considering how "calm and quiet a neighborhood" it is.
The incidents in Mr. Ringer's Uniontown area neighborhood come as election officials around Pennsylvania and elsewhere brace for potential harassment and violence on Election Day.
Looks like all the inciteful dog whistles coming from Republican politicians are paying off for the GQP.
