In a harrowing incident, former Arizona Senator Martha McSally revealed that she was sexually assaulted while jogging along the Missouri River on the Iowa-Nebraska border. McSally, a rape survivor who has been an advocate against sexual assault, shared the details of the disturbing encounter in a candid Instagram video.
Recalling the incident, McSally described how a man approached her from behind, “engulfed” her, and subjected her to unwanted touching. Despite the traumatic situation, McSally exhibited resilience, recounting that she chose to fight back. “I was in a fight-flight-or-freeze, and I chose to fight,” she asserted. McSally pursued the assailant, threw her water bottle at him, and chased him into the brush. While on the phone with 911, she waited for the police to arrive, though it appears the attacker managed to evade apprehension.
The assault transpired just before 10:55 a.m. in Council Bluffs, Iowa, near Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park by the Interstate 480 overpass, according to the Council Bluffs Police Department. Despite a prompt response by law enforcement, no suspects were located. The attacker is described as a White or Hispanic man, aged between 25 to 40, with a stocky build.
This unsettling incident adds to McSally’s history of confronting and overcoming sexual assault. In 2019, during a Senate hearing on sexual assault allegations in the military, she disclosed being raped by a superior officer while serving in the Air Force. At that time, McSally emphasized that her advocacy against sexual assault stems from personal experience.
Having served several terms in Congress and later appointed to the Senate following the passing of John McCain, McSally faced defeat in a 2020 special election against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut.
Post-assault, McSally acknowledged the emotional toll, stating, “I still have a lot to process.” However, she emphasized reclaiming her power in this instance. “He tried to take power from me, but I turned it on him, and he was running from me instead of the other way around,” she asserted. The former senator’s resilience in the face of adversity highlights the ongoing challenges surrounding personal safety and the urgent need for continued advocacy against sexual assault.