LOCALIZE IT: Attack on Minnesota lawmakers is yet another act of political violence in 2025
By ED WHITE
Associated Press
EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
The assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife at their homes are the latest additions to a long roll call of political violence in the United States.
In just the past two months: People marching for the release of hostages in Gaza were struck by firebombs; two Israeli embassy workers in Washington were killed; and the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was badly damaged by an arsonist on a Jewish holiday while Josh Shapiro and family were inside.
President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt last summer during the 2024 presidential campaign.
There have been other acts of political violence in the U.S., most notably the riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress met to ratify Joe Biden’s victory. False claims about the 2020 presidential election contributed to threats against election officials and an exodus of election workers.
Vance Boelter, 57, was charged with federal murder and stalking crimes in the shootings of the Minnesota lawmakers, prosecutors said Monday, describing the attacks as targeted.
___
READ AP’S COVERAGE
Prosecutors: Suspect in shooting of Minnesota state lawmakers targeted two others that night
Friends say Minnesota shooting suspect was deeply religious and conservative
A teenager with a job making burritos became a powerful Minnesota lawmaker who trained service dogs
Political violence is threaded through recent US history. The motives and justifications vary
___
FIND YOUR STATE: POLITICAL VIOLENCE
The shootings of Minnesota lawmakers Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman and their spouses were the most brazen attacks against public officials since Trump was shot in 2024. Political violence has targeted officials and their families in various communities. Politics has also driven large-scale massacres. Here are some examples:
ARIZONA — Six people were killed and about a dozen people, including Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a meet-the-congresswoman event at a Tucson shopping center in 2011.
CALIFORNIA — Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked with a hammer by an intruder at their San Francisco home in October 2022, shortly before the mid-term elections.
COLORADO — More than a dozen people were hurt on June 1 when two Molotov cocktails were thrown during a march in Boulder, Colorado. A man charged in the attack said he was driven by a desire “to kill all Zionist people,” according to police.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — A Chicago man charged with killing two Israeli embassy workers in May said, “I did it for Palestine,” police said.
FLORIDA — A man was arrested last September after U.S. Secret Service agents saw a firearm poking out of the shrubbery on the West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course where Trump was playing.
MICHIGAN — Fourteen people were charged in 2020 in a scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. After becoming president again, Trump talked about possibly pardoning two key people who are in prison.
MISSOURI — Three city officials and two police officers were killed in February 2008 when a gunman attacked a meeting of the Kirkwood City Council in suburban St. Louis. The mayor also died seven months later from injuries sustained in the shooting.
NEW MEXICO — The homes of several Democratic officials were targeted in drive-by shootings in December 2022 and January 2023. A former unsuccessful Republican candidate was among those charged in connection with the shootings. He was convicted in March.
NEW YORK — UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was killed on a Manhattan sidewalk in December in what authorities said was an act of terrorism. A man who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo grocery store in 2022 said in documents posted online that he hoped the attack would help preserve white power in the U.S. and later said he “acted out of hate.” Brooklyn Councilman James Davis, founder of an anti-violence organization, was fatally shot inside the New York City Council chambers in 2003.
PENNSYLVANIA — Trump’s right ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler in July 2024. A gunman killed 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
TENNESSEE — Republican state Sen. Tommy Burks was fatally shot in October 1998 while preparing for a school group to visit a pumpkin patch on his farm. A Democratic candidate running against him was convicted of the shooting.
TEXAS — Nearly two dozen shoppers at a heavily Latino Walmart in El Paso were killed in 2019. The gunman, who pleaded guilty, had posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas.
VIRGINIA — U.S. House Republican Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was critically wounded and several others also were injured in June 2017 when a gunman opened fire on Republican lawmakers and staff practicing baseball at an Alexandria park.
___
THREATS TO ELECTION OFFICIALS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKERS
There are dozens of stories from far lesser-known political officials. Threats to election offices have been a consequence of Trump’s false claims about his 2020 loss. The constant threats and harassment have contributed to an exodus of election officials across the country.
At least 10 states have criminalized interference with or intimidation of election workers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A compilation of those laws can be found here.
___
POLITICS BEHIND SHOOTINGS
The Anti-Defamation League found that from 2022 through 2024, all of the 61 political killings in the United States were committed by right-wing extremists. That changed on Jan. 1, 2025, when a Texas man flying the flag of the Islamic State group killed 14 people by driving his truck through a crowded New Orleans street.
“You’re seeing acts of violence from all different ideologies,” said Jacob Ware, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, who researches terrorism. “It feels more random and chaotic and more frequent.”
One of Trump’s first acts in office was to pardon those involved in the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, the largest act of domestic political violence this century.
Matt Dallek, a political scientist at George Washington University who studies extremism, said the pardons sent a “very strong message” that violence may be rewarded.
Saturday Trump joined in the official bipartisan condemnation of the Minnesota shootings, calling them “horrific violence.”
___
CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— New Jersey in 2020 enacted a law that exempted the home addresses of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers from disclosure under public records laws. Have there been similar efforts in your state to shield various public officials? Has anyone raised concerns about the public’s right to know?
— While presidents and governors typically have security details, candidates for lower-level offices often have no government-provided security and may be on their own to arrange for it. Do candidates or elected officials have fears about their safety?
— At least 21 states have a so-called red flag law, which allows police, health professionals, family members or roommates to ask local judges to ban someone from possessing guns for a year. Is your state on the list?
— Are political tones changing in your communities? Have elected officials and candidates stressed unity, softened their rhetoric or highlighted the need for civil discourse in campaigns and government?
— Are there examples of political violence — or threats of political violence — that occurred in the past in your area? If so, what consequences were there for those involved in the violence? Were there any noticeable changes to political events or procedures afterward?
___
Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org.
___
