Political leaders from both major parties nationwide are urging calm and condemning political violence after the killing of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and the serious wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman in a pair of shootings state officials say were politically motivated, Politico reported.
Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday confirmed the deaths of Hortman and her husband, along with serious injuries sustained by Hoffman and his wife in separate attacks. Walz labeled the incidents "politically motivated assassinations."
"This violence is a stain on our state and on our democracy," Walz said. "We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate."
Saturday's shootings mark the latest in a troubling rise in political violence across the United States. Earlier this month, two staffers at the Israeli embassy were shot in Washington in a separate apparent act of political extremism.
In response, officials from both political parties issued statements urging Americans to reject violence and focus on civil discourse.
California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D–Salinas, and Republican Minority Leader James Gallagher released a rare bipartisan statement Saturday. "We stand together in condemning it in the strongest possible terms," they wrote. "As leaders on both sides of the aisle, we call on everyone to take down the temperature, respect differences of opinion, and work toward peace in our society."
That message was echoed by the leaders of California's state Senate. "There is no cause, no grievance, no election justifies the use of fear or force against our fellow human beings," said Democrat Senate President pro-Tempore Mike McGuire and Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones.
Minnesota's full congressional delegation, which includes Democrat Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar as well as Republican Rep. Tom Emmer, issued a joint statement condemning the shootings. "Today, we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief, and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants. There is no place in our democracy for politically motivated violence," the statement read.
Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mt. Vernon, said such incidents are growing more common and pose serious threats to public service. "None of us who run for public office sign up for this," he said. "We sign up to serve our communities, to debate policy, and to work on behalf of our constituents – not to have our lives and our families threatened by political extremists."
Democrat Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado and GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, chair and vice chair of the National Governors Association, issued a joint appeal. "These attacks are not just assaults on individuals; they are attacks on our communities and the very foundation of our democracy," they said. "Now more than ever, we must come together as one nation to ensure that our public square remains a place of debate, not danger."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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