Political philosopher Simone de Beauvoir wrote that “even when violence does not appear explicitly, it haunts the world.” The specter of violence haunts the United States. Shaped by the brutality of slavery and devastated by a civil war, this country bears a long history of political violence. Tides of violence have risen and ebbed for centuries. Now, following a series of high-profile assassinations and attacks on politicians from both parties, the tides of violence are rising once again in the United States.
The past several months have seen the killings of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and Democratic Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, and as well as the firebombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home. Research suggests that these are not just isolated incidents.
A Brennan Center report on intimidation of state and local officeholders found that an alarming rate of state legislators reported an increase in frequency of violence. In 2022–2023, we fielded two national surveys of local and state officeholders and interviewed dozens of state legislators about their experiences of violence. About 40 percent of state legislators reported an increase in frequency of violence, and nearly a third reported an increase in seriousness of attacks. State legislators from both parties shared harrowing experiences of violence.
In Congress, the U.S. Capitol Police investigated over 8,000 threats in 2023, a 50 percent increase compared with 2018. The number of threats is 10 times higher than in 2016. The Capitol Police say that members of both parties receive threats at similar rates.
This violence distorts who gets elected and how they interact with constituents. It can also influence how they vote on critical issues, such as in the impeachment of President Trump for his role in the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to overturn the presidential election.
Elected officials confess that fear of violence impacts their policy positions. For example, representatives told me in interviews that they were cautious when communicating about contentious foreign or domestic policy matters out of fear of threats of violence. For some, the threat of violence is even shaping how they vote. Rep. Liz Cheney, one of only two Republicans on the January 6 Committee, told political commentator David Axelrod, “I have had a number of members say to me, we would have voted to impeach, but we were concerned about our security. . . . Members of the United States House of Representatives for whom security, their personal security or their family security, their concerns about that affected the way that they felt they could vote. That’s a really significant thing to say about the current state of our politics.” Another Republican congressman admitted to Sen. Mitt Romney that he wanted to vote in favor of Trump’s second impeachment but was afraid for his family’s safety and ultimately voted against the impeachment. In a third instance, a senator who told colleagues he would support conviction was met with pleas to reconsider. He said they told him, “You can’t do that. . . . Think of your personal safety . . . of your children.” That senator ended up voting against conviction.
Violence is also deterring people from getting into politics or remaining in office. A recent study of U.S. mayors found that those who experienced physical violence were more likely to say they considered not running for reelection or higher office as a result. In Congress, many members feel the same. Rep. Angie Craig, who was assaulted by a man who followed her into her apartment building in 2023, identified violence as a problem in recruiting: “The biggest deterrent for getting good people getting into politics today is that you do have to take precaution in a way that maybe 30 years ago [you did not].” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was violently attached in their San Francisco home, wrote in her memoir, “From housewife to House member to House Speaker, I certainly would never have broken the marble ceiling without Paul’s support, encouragement, and love. And I would never have done it if I thought it would one day cause him to risk his own life.”
In addition, members are limiting their civic engagement because of violence. One representative stated in an interview with me that there are certain geographic areas of her home district that she and her staff do not engage with because they do not feel safe or protected by local law enforcement. “Most of my staff, particularly at home [in my district office], are women. And it is very rare, but sometimes we have local law enforcement that are not supportive,” she admitted. She stressed that “if the local police are not responsive if there’s something that goes on, I think that that is unfortunate. But I’m not going to compromise my safety or my team’s safety or our community safety because somebody is unprofessional on partisan grievances and is not willing to help create a safe space to talk about our community and our democracy, [which is] what representation really means.”
In January 2011, Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot at a constituent event at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. Eighteen people were shot, and six were killed in the incident. The victims included a staff member and a nine-year-old girl. The shooting took place during a “Congress on your Corner” event, a staple engagement event where members meet constituents in a variety of local spots. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said that the shooting “kind of put the brakes on people doing those kind of regularly scheduled . . . at-the-grocery-store things. We have to think about it more. Any time we announce where we’re going to be, we have to notify cops now.”
When events are cancelled or moved indoors, many fewer constituents can be engaged. Members are also reducing town halls or moving them online. Former Rep. Derek Kilmer thinks that one of the reasons that members are now shifting to virtual town halls is because planning in-person town halls amid rising threats has become increasingly time-consuming and complicated. “You don’t want to create a situation where it’s hard for constituents to engage with their elected official,” Kilmer cautioned, reflecting on the ramifications of the current climate.
When members cannot run for office, engage with constituents, speak out on issues, or vote their conscience without fear of violence, American democracy is disfigured as a result. Democratic representation depends on robust civic engagement and the ability of our democratic representatives to deliver for their constituents without fearing for their safety.
This piece was adapted from Maya Kornberg’s forthcoming book, Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress.
