Just days after conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated, tensions in Arizona politics are running hotter than ever. This week, campaign signs for GOP congressional candidate Daniel Butierez, who is running to win the seat in District 7 (CD7, replacing Raúl Grijalva), and city council candidate Janet Wittenbreaker were defaced with professionally printed stickers reading “Make Assassination Great Again.”

The timing, so soon after Kirk’s death, has shaken Republicans across the state. What might once have been dismissed as crude vandalism is now seen as part of a culture that normalizes political violence.

“This is sickening,” said one CD7 volunteer. “Charlie Kirk was murdered. And now people are walking around slapping stickers on our candidates’ signs that celebrate assassination. This is what the Left has become.”

The CD7 race, spanning southern Arizona, has long been dominated by Democrats. But Republicans see a chance to gain ground with newcomers like Butierez and Wittenbreaker, who have campaigned on border security, inflation, and restoring public safety.

Instead of debating policy, their campaigns are now forced to deal with intimidation.

Butierez said the first sticker appeared on August 31. He noted that while mainstream media reported on vandalism of his signs, they intentionally did not mention the assassination message.

“I feel different about things now,” Butierez told the Arizona Globe. “I’m going to have armed security at my watch party—because if I win, I don’t trust these people. I’ve got a bulletproof vest on standby. Ultimately, I don’t want to live in fear. God’s got us.”

Whitenbreaker echoed his concern in a social media post.

So far, Democrats in the district have not condemned the stickers. Republicans argue that silence in the face of explicit calls for violence amounts to tacit approval. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has failed to condemn or even comment on the stickers or the growing threats against GOP candidates. Critics say her silence is troubling, given that the messages explicitly glorify political assassination.

With the memory of Charlie Kirk’s assassination still raw, the imagery of “Make Assassination Great Again” splattered across GOP signs feels less like vandalism and more like a warning shot in an already polarized political climate.

Election for CD7 is September 23, 2025.