(CNN) A GOP office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was firebombed over the weekend, with a swastika and the words "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" spray painted on an adjacent building, according to local officials.

No arrests have been made.

Gov. Pat McCrory on Monday called the fire an "assault on our democracy."

Speaking from the scene, McCrory said the incident won't get in the way of fair elections.

Hillsborough police said they are still processing evidence from the scene and they are receiving assistance from the FBI, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A bottle of flammable liquid was thrown through the Orange County Republican headquarters, police said

"The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building's interior before going out. The substance was housed in a bottle thrown through one of the building's front windows," according to a statement by the town of Hillsborough.

A 911 call was made by the owner of a business nearby, the town said.

"Someone has firebombed through the window of the Republican Party next to me and sprayed all over the side of my building, 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else,' " the caller said.

The caller said: "They threw some sort of firebomb through the window because it smoked up under the porch and all around the window frame. ... I can smell smoke, so obviously it went out on its own or didn't work well, but it is some sort of incendiary device."

A firebomb was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican office.

Hillsborough is about 10 miles northwest of Durham.

North Carolina is a key swing state in the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Early Sunday evening, the Clinton campaign tweeted a note of sympathy.

"The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."

Thank you for your thoughts & prayers, Sec. @HillaryClinton. — NCGOP (@NCGOP) October 16, 2016

"The office itself is a total loss," Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state Republican Party, told The Charlotte Observer . "The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been."

The weekend firebombing episode become fodder for claims by Trump that the election is "rigged" in Clinton's favor, reflecting the intensity surrounding the campaign in the final weeks of the race. In the evening, Trump -- without evidence -- blamed the firebombing on Clinton supporters.

"Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP," Trump tweeted Sunday night.

Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Woodhouse told CNN's John Berman and Kate Bolduan that roughly 80 county GOP offices were told to close early Sunday, and a temporary mobile office was erected in Orange County, near the site of the firebombing.

A group of Democrats started a GoFundMe fundraising page to help with rebuilding the office. The campaign has accumulated more than $13,000.

"We've had a lot of people reach out. We've had a lot of people who aren't political who are at the office volunteering," Woodhouse said. "We have heard from some Democrat groups. I agree with both Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump that these were animals who did this, no matter who they represent, and it's disgusting and unacceptable.

Democratic office vandalized

Fifteen miles south, in Carrboro, a Democratic office was spray-painted with the words "Death to Capitalism."

Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Matt Hughes says the office was closed midday Sunday after employees discovered the scrawl.

Capt. Chris Atack of the Carrboro Police Department told CNN in an email that the graffiti is consistent in theme with others officials have seen in the downtown areas for years.

He said the incident was not believed to be related to the GOP vandalism in Hillsborough.

"We have no information suggesting that this is in any way related to the proximity to Democratic campaign headquarters or events in Hillsborough," Atak said.

Hughes, the Democratic Party chairman, says it is "a heck of a coincidence."</s>Police are investigating the incident in Hillsborough, North Carolina, located about 40 miles from the state capital of Raleigh, as arson. The crime occurred less than a month before Election Day, on Nov. 8, and major party candidates Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton both condemned the attack in the battleground state that could play a pivotal role in the presidential race.

Hillsborough police said a bottle containing flammable material ignited after being thrown through a front window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

No one was in the office at the time, but the substance burned furniture, charred campaign signs and caused significant smoke damage. A swastika and the message "Nazi Republicans leave town or else," were spray-painted on an adjacent building, police said in a statement.

"This is political terrorism," Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party, said in a phone interview on Monday. "Somebody could have been killed."

But party volunteers were undeterred, he said, starting the clean-up and getting back to work on Monday in a bus being used as a mobile office. Local police were on site providing security.

"We're not going to be intimated, we're not going to be cowed," Woodhouse said.

Local police said the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were assisting in the investigation, along with the state's investigative bureau.

Police said they were sifting through evidence and trying to narrow the timeframe of when the incident occurred. There were no immediate damage estimates.

In a tweet Sunday evening, Clinton said she was grateful no one was hurt in the attack, which she called "horrific and unacceptable."

About an hour later, Trump blamed his Democratic opponent's supporters for the crime.

"Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning," he said on Twitter.

Registered Democrats far outnumber Republicans in Orange County, according to elections board data, and President Barack Obama won 70 percent of the vote there in the 2012 presidential election.

But local Republicans said the incident took them by surprise in what has been a divisive season in American politics.

"We've seen that there's a lot of tension on the national level. There's various forms of tensions here in North Carolina," political activist Matthew Arnold told WRAL.com. "But it doesn't occur to you that it will elevate to a level like this."</s>Investigators are treating the incident as arson. The fire caused heavy damage to the Orange County Republican Party's office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, located about 40 miles from the state capital of Raleigh. No arrests have been made.

"This is political terrorism," Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party, said in a phone interview.

The crime occurred less than a month before the Nov. 8 election. Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton condemned the attack. North Carolina is considered a battleground state that could play a pivotal role in the presidential contest.

"We are taking this incident very seriously and have significant resources at the local, state and federal level committed to this investigation,” Hillsborough Police Chief Duane Hampton said in a statement on Monday, asking anyone with information to come forward.

Hillsborough police said a bottle containing flammable material ignited after being thrown through a front window of the headquarters between midnight and about 9 a.m. on Sunday, when a nearby business owner reported the crime.

"Someone has firebombed through the window (of) the Republican party up here beside me and sprayed all over the side of my building, 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else,'" the caller told a 911 operator in a call released on Monday.

A swastika also was spray-painted on the neighboring building, police said. They said no one was in the party office at the time, but the substance burned furniture and charred campaign signs.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest praised the efforts of self-described Democrats who raised about $13,000 in an online GoFundMe campaign to help Republicans reopen the office.

"That's consistent with the values that we lift up in this country," he said at a news briefing on Monday. "There is no justification for the use of violence to advance a political agenda."

In a tweet on Sunday, Clinton said she was grateful no one was hurt in the attack, which she called "horrific and unacceptable."

Trump blamed his Democratic opponent's supporters for the crime.

"Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning," he said on Twitter.

Registered Democrats far outnumber Republicans in Orange County, according to elections board data. President Barack Obama won 70 percent of the vote there in the 2012 presidential election.

Despite those statistics and the divisive nature of this year's presidential race, local Republicans said the incident took them by surprise.

They remained undeterred, however, starting the clean-up at their strip-mall headquarters and getting back to work on Monday in a bus being used as a mobile office.

"We're not going to be intimated, we're not going to be cowed," Woodhouse said.</s>Washington (CNN) A GOP office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was firebombed over the weekend, with a swastika and the words "Nazi Republicans get out of town or else" spray painted on an adjacent building, according to local officials.

"The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building's interior before going out. The substance was housed in a bottle thrown through one of the building's front windows," according to a statement by the town of Hillsborough.

The Hillsborough Police Department said in a statement Monday that it was still processing evidence from the scene and that it was receiving assistance from the FBI, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A bottle of flammable liquid was thrown through the Orange County Republican headquarters, police said

A firebomb was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican office in North Carolina on Sunday, October 16.

"This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community's safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation," Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said in a statement.

"I believe I speak for the overwhelming majority of people who make Hillsborough their home: Acts like this have no place in our community," he said. "Our law enforcement officials are responding quickly and thoroughly to investigate this reprehensible act and prosecute the perpetrators."

North Carolina is a key swing state in the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Early Sunday evening the Clinton campaign tweeted a note of sympathy.

"The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."

The North Carolina Republican Party tweeted its appreciation in response.

"Thank you for your thoughts & prayers, Sec. @HillaryClinton."

"The office itself is a total loss," Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state Republican Party, told The Charlotte Observer . "The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been."

The weekend firebombing episode become fodder for claims by Trump that the election is "rigged" in Clinton's favor, reflecting the intensity surrounding of the campaign in the final weeks of the race. In the evening, Trump -- without evidence -- blamed the firebombing on Clinton supporters.

"Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP," Trump tweeted Sunday night.

Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina Republican party, told CNN's John Berman and Kate Bolduan that roughly 80 county GOP offices were told to close early Sunday, and a temporary mobile office was erected in Orange County, near the site of the firebombing.

"We've had a lot of people reach out. We've had a lot of people who aren't political who are at the office volunteering," Woodhouse said. "We have heard from some Democrat groups. I agree with both Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump that these were animals who did this, no matter who they represent, and it's disgusting and unacceptable.</s>HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Authorities are investigating after a local Republican Party office in North Carolina was set on fire in what a state GOP official called an act of "political terrorism."

A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight, according to a Sunday news release from the town of Hillsborough.

The flammable substance that was thrown into the office ignited and damaged the interior before burning out. No one was injured.

In addition to the fire, the news release said an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: "Nazi Republicans leave town or else."

State GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said people sometimes work after-hours and he felt lucky no one was there at the time. He said the bottle appeared to have landed on or near the couch where volunteers sometimes take naps.

"They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in an interview, calling the fire an act of "political terrorism."

On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, said on Twitter that the attack "is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."

Republican nominee Donald Trump blamed the act on Democrats in a Tweet and he also encouraged local Republicans, saying: "With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all!"

At a news conference, Woodhouse urged Republicans to respond peacefully by turning out to vote in November. He said he'd received messages of support from Democrats.

Tom Stevens, mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, said it was fortunate the fire didn't burn the office and other adjacent buildings that are decades old to the ground.

Stevens, a Democrat, said the act doesn't represent the character of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.</s>A GOP office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was firebombed overnight, with a swastika and the words "Nazi Republicans get out of town or else" spray painted on an adjacent building, according to local officials.

"The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building's interior before going out. The substance was housed in a bottle thrown through one of the building's front windows," according to a statement by the town of Hillsborough.

"This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community's safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation," Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said in a statement.

"I believe I speak for the overwhelming majority of people who make Hillsborough their home: Acts like this have no place in our community," he said. "Our law enforcement officials are responding quickly and thoroughly to investigate this reprehensible act and prosecute the perpetrators."

North Carolina is a key swing state in the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. "The office itself is a total loss," Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state Republican Party, told The Charlotte Observer "The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been." Hillsborough police did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.</s>HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) — Authorities are investigating after a local Republican Party office in North Carolina was set on fire in what a state GOP official called an act of “political terrorism.”

A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight, according to a Sunday news release from the town of Hillsborough.

The flammable substance that was thrown into the office ignited and damaged the interior before burning out. No one was injured.

In addition to the fire, the news release said an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.”

Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was working with local investigators.

State GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said people sometimes work after-hours and he felt lucky no one was there at the time. He said the bottle appeared to have landed on or near the couch where volunteers sometimes take naps.

“They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed,” he said in an interview, calling the fire an act of “political terrorism.”

He said Republican offices around the state were re-examining their security.

On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint.

The violent act in the key battleground state was condemned by public figures across the political spectrum.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, said on Twitter that the attack “is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.”

Republican nominee Donald Trump blamed the act on Democrats in a Tweet and he also encouraged local Republicans, saying: “With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all!”

At a news conference, Woodhouse urged Republicans to respond peacefully by turning out to vote in November. He said he’d received messages of support from Democrats.

Orange County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley told reporters no one had previously made violent threats against the office several miles from the town’s historic square.

Tom Stevens, mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, said it was fortunate the fire didn’t burn the office and other adjacent buildings that are decades old to the ground.

Stevens, a Democrat, said the act doesn’t represent the character of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.

“I’d like to believe we aspire to respect hearing differing views,” Stevens said in an interview. “This is very troubling.”</s>RALEIGH, N.C. — A local Republican Party office in North Carolina was damaged by fire and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to "Nazi Republicans" on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday.

A news release from the town of Hillsborough said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out.

The news release says an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: "Nazi Republicans leave town or else."

State GOP director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices around the state.

Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. Local police are investigating alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Woodhouse said the interior of the office had extensive damage. He said people sometimes work after-hours, and he felt lucky that no one was there at the time.

"They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in a phone interview.

Tom Stevens, the mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, condemned the act in a statement.

"This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community's safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation," Stevens, a Democrat, said in a news release.

Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.

The GOP office is located at a retail complex along the interstate that's several miles from the town's historic square.</s>The executive director of the state’s Republican Party called the attack “political terrorism.” “The office itself is a total loss,” Dallas Woodhouse told The Charlotte Observer. “The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been.”

Photographs posted by the state party showed the office’s charred walls and furniture, with colourful lawn signs for candidates, including Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, appearing melted and warped. The perpetrators threw flammable material in a bottle through the office’s front window, and spray-painted the words “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” on a business next door, the town said.

The attack was swiftly condemned by Mr Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton. “The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable,” Mrs Clinton wrote on Twitter. “Very grateful that everyone is safe.” Democrats meanwhile started raising funds to repair the building.

Today, Mr Trump stepped up claims the presidential election will be rigged against him, as polls showed support slipping away from the Republican candidate only three weeks from the vote. The bombastic billionaire fired off a series of erratic Twitter broadsides at Mrs Clinton and the media over the weekend as tensions mount ahead of the November 8 election.

After the first election debate, Mr Trump said he would respect the election result. But he backtracked in an interview with the New York Times last month, saying, “We’re going to see what happens.”

“I don’t think any American should ever attempt to make any other American nervous in the exercise of their franchise to vote,” Pence said.

But they did so by vastly different numbers: an ABC News/Washington Post survey had Clinton four points ahead while an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll put her margin at 11 points.

Giuliani claimed that if Republicans “control the inner cities the way Democrats do,” then maybe “they’d do as much cheating as Democrats do.”

Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine, interviewed on ABC, dismissed the claims.

The nation’s top elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has declared that he would no longer “defend” the party’s nominee, rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process.

“Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity,” his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement.

“The Democrats have a corrupt political machine pushing crooked Hillary Clinton. We have Paul Ryan, always fighting the Republican nominee!” he wrote.

As Trump and Clinton prepare for their third and final debate on Wednesday, Clinton is lying low, apparently relying on Trump self-destructing.

These are also delicate times for Clinton. As sexual misconduct claims against Trump dominate the campaign, Clinton has appeared reluctant to speak out because she stuck by husband Bill while he was mired in the Monica Lewinsky and other sex scandals when he was president.

The CBS News Battleground Tracker Poll out Sunday found that, because of a surge in support for Clinton among women, she now leads by six points in a dozen crucial swing states.</s>HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) — A local Republican Party office in North Carolina was damaged by fire and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to “Nazi Republicans” on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday.

A news release from the town of Hillsborough said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out.

The news release says an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.”

State GOP director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices around the state.

On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint by late afternoon.

Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. Local police are investigating alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Woodhouse said that people sometimes work after-hours, and he felt lucky that no one was there at the time.

“They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed,” he said in a phone interview.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, tweeted, ‘The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe’.

Tom Stevens, the mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, condemned the act in a statement.

“This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community’s safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation,” Stevens, a Democrat, said in a news release.

Rev. William J. Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, also condemned the act. Barber told the Associated Press on Sunday, “While vigorous debate on issues is acceptable, we in the NAACP denounce any kind of violence that is perpetrated toward our citizens or any political party.”

Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.

The GOP office is located at a retail complex along the interstate that’s several miles from the town’s historic square.
An arsonist firebombs a Republican Party office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and leaves a graffiti message reading, "Nazi Republicans get out of town or else."