Swastika painted on Biden-Harris campaign sign in Iowa

Police in Iowa say a swastika was painted over a campaign sign that supported Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). 

Neighbors said the vandalism likely occurred Monday night or early Tuesday morning to the lawn sign in the city of Ankeny, according to a police report obtained by The Des Moines Register. White paint was reportedly used to cover the names of the Democratic candidates and a red swastika was drawn over top.

Sgt. Ryan Evans, spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, told the outlet that no suspects have been identified.

There have been four reports of various campaign signs being damaged in the past six months, including one lit on fire in Bondurant. However, none of the previous vandalism included the violent symbols.

“That’s obviously extreme,” Evans said. “It could be construed as a hate crime, which does elevate the severity.” 

Reports of vandalized or stolen campaign signs have popped up across the country in the lead up to the contentious presidential election on Tuesday.

A Florida man is facing charges of grand theft and trespassing after police say he stole a bulldozer from a construction site and drove around destroying Biden signs. A hay bale display constructed on a Massachusetts farm in support of Biden and Harris was set on fire earlier this month.

In Michigan, a township employee attempting to remove an improperly placed Trump-Pence 2020 sign had his hand sliced open and required 13 stitches because it had been booby-trapped with razor blades.

Biden and Trump are polling neck and neck in Iowa. 

A New York Times-Siena College poll released Wednesday showed Biden up by 3 points in Iowa, 46 percent to 43 percent.

Another survey taken around the same time by Monmouth University showed Trump and Biden statistically tied. Trump’s 1-point advantage of 48 percent to Biden’s 47 percent fell within the survey’s 4.4 percentage point margin of error. In a larger voter turnout model conducted by Monmouth, Biden led Trump 50 percent to 47 percent.

In a sign of the fact that both campaigns likely see the contest in Iowa as close, the two candidates are both visiting Iowa.

Trump held a rally last week in Des Moines. Biden, meanwhile, will be returning to Iowa this week for the first time since he earned his party’s nomination.