MADISON, Wis. -- Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes.

Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol.

Several nearby homes were vandalized -- all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported.

State Republican Party officials claim it's the latest in a series of desperate acts by Democrats.

Homeowners are angry, but resolute in what they plan to do next.

"I just cannot believe that someone would take the liberty to do this," said homeowner Rob Schaeffer. "We're appalled that someone would choose to destroy our property because they don't believe in our political views. My signs are going right back in the yard. This is my property. We live here. We have rights."

Police are investigating the criminal damage and told the homeowner it will be investigated as a hate crime, which carries stiffer penalties.