ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.-
The spokeswoman for Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl’s campaign was seriously injured Thursday after being severely beaten in a bank parking lot, officials said.
Paige McKenzie was attacked Wednesday evening in Bernalillo, just north of Albuquerque. Her vehicle was on a jack and its spare tire was out when emergency workers found her, police Chief Fred Radosevich said.
Dendahl said a friend of McKenzie’s told him she recognized the assailant, but she did not provide a name.
McKenzie’s “teeth were splintered, she has a broken jaw and has a tube down her throat to help her breathe,” Dendahl said. McKenzie was upgraded from critical to serious condition at University of New Mexico Hospital, said Cindy Foster, hospital spokeswoman.
Police had not been able to interview her as of midday Thursday, Radosevich said. He said officers are checking with the bank, but apparently no camera was aimed at the area where McKenzie’s vehicle was parked.
Dendahl faces Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson in the Nov. 7 general election.
Richardson said he has offered state police resources to help with the investigation if needed.
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