This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault.

A congressional candidate in Arizona says she was attacked and raped in August while trying to repair one of her damaged campaign signs.

Bernadette Greene-Placentia, a trucker and small-business owner, shared her account with the Phoenix New Times, a local publication. The assault took place on 14 August, according to the campaign.

The Democratic candidate, running in a district that includes parts of Phoenix, told the newspaper that she was walking across a parking lot just after 2am to fix a campaign sign when an attacker smashed her over the head, causing her to black out.

Greene-Placentia told the newspaper that she awoke to find a man on top of her and discovered he was raping her. She recalled another man coming over and pushing her leg, at which point she said she swung her foot at him. The man said, “Not even worth it”, and the two attackers left, leaving her face down in the parking lot, she recalled.

The candidate said her memory of the incident and its aftermath was hazy, telling the newspaper she did not remember picking herself off the pavement or returning home.

“It’s just these little tiny flashes of things that I do remember,” Greene-Placentia told the Phoenix New Times. “As much as I don’t want to remember, I’ve tried very, very hard to remember more stuff. But that’s where I’m at.”

She said she may have had a concussion as a result of the attack and that her body was covered in bruises. She said she initially wanted to forget what had happened and felt “embarrassed”, at first choosing not to report the assault. But she told the paper that on the campaign trail, she often spoke about fighting for Arizonans, “and I didn’t feel like I could keep saying that if I weren’t also fighting for women that are victims of sexual assault”.

Greene-Placentia told her campaign staff and husband about the assault days after it happened and reported it to the Maricopa county sheriff’s office two weeks later, according to the Phoenix New Times. The newspaper interviewed Greene-Placentia’s relatives, friends, campaign staff and landlord about the aftermath of the assault.

“Speaking publicly about what happened has been incredibly difficult for Bernadette,” a campaign spokesperson told the Guardian on Wednesday after the Phoenix New Times story was published. “She chose to share her story because she knows many survivors struggle in silence, and she hopes that by speaking about her experience, others will know they are not alone.”

The spokesperson added: “She hopes the focus remains on supporting survivors and making sure people who have experienced sexual violence know they are seen, heard and supported.”

“I need to let women know that it’s OK to talk about it,” Greene-Placentia told the newspaper.

Stephanie Simacek, a state representative and friend of Greene-Placentia, said the congressional candidate told her of the assault in early September, telling the Phoenix New Times, “I felt sick to my stomach, and it was extremely disturbing. It was a big wake-up call for me. I think oftentimes, as candidates and electeds, we think that it’s not going to happen to us.”

A Maricopa county sheriff’s spokesperson declined to comment, saying the investigation was ongoing.

Greene-Placentia is running against an incumbent Republican member of Congress, Abraham Hamadeh.

• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html