The Rise of Political Violence and Targeting of Lawmakers in the U.S.

The shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses this past weekend are the latest instances of political violence that has risen across the U.S. in recent years.

Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed on Saturday by a man who authorities say was impersonating a police officer. The same shooter attacked Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who have been hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities apprehended and are charging Vance Boelter, 57, in connection with both shootings. Boelter is facing federal murder charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty, in addition to state charges.

The attacks come as U.S. lawmakers face a rising threat of political violence. Members of Congress and state and local officials have been targeted in multiple high-profile violent incidents in recent years, including the 2011 shooting of then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, the 2017 shooting at a Congressional baseball practice that left Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and several other people injured, and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Though no lawmakers were wounded in that instance, more than 100 people were injured amid the storming of the building and at least seven deaths were tied to the attack, according to a bipartisan Senate report.

The number of concerning statements and direct threats against members of Congress—including their families and staff—investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police has increased markedly within the past seven years, jumping from 3,939 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021, according to the agency.  

And the past year has seen another spike. The Capitol Police investigated 9,474 direct threats and concerning statements in 2024, up from 8,008 the previous year. Reuters identified at least 51 incidents of political violence from January to October last year in the lead-up to the 2024 election, among 300 it had recorded since the Jan. 6 attack up to that point. The news outlet reported “the cases are part of the biggest and most sustained increase in U.S. political violence since the 1970s.”

Read More: A Stark Look at the Recent History of Political Violence in America

Here are some of the attacks that have been carried out against U.S. lawmakers in a violent year for the country’s politics.

The assassination attempts against Trump

On July 13, 2024, a gunman fired multiple shots toward the stage where Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One bullet struck Trump in his right ear,, while one bystander was killed and two others were wounded.

The shooter was later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper at the scene.

Just two months later, authorities foiled another apparent attempt on Trump’s life at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024. While Trump was golfing, a Secret Service agent who was posted ahead of Trump noticed a man holding a rifle, about 400 yards away, poking out of a tree line nearby. The suspect didn’t fire any rounds and didn’t have a line of sight to Trump, authorities said. Secret Service personnel fired shots at the suspect, who dropped his weapon, along with other items, and fled the scene in a vehicle.

Trump was unharmed in the second attack. Authorities later apprehended and identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, a one-time Trump supporter who was passionate about defending Ukraine in the war with Russia.

The arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home

In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were in their home when they were awakened by a state trooper banging on the door after an arsonist set the home on fire. They were safely evacuated, and firefighters tackled the blaze. Video surveillance of the incident showed a suspect climbing over a fence, breaking into Shapiro’s home through a window, and throwing in an incendiary device, according to the affidavit. Another device was thrown into the home as well.

The suspect was later apprehended and identified by authorities as Cody A. Balmer. Authorities said Balmer admitted to setting Shapiro’s home on fire, and said that he would have “beaten him with a hammer” if the governor had found him.

The shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called Saturday’s shootings acts of “targeted political violence.”

“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” Walz said. “This tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us that democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”

Read more: Suspected Shooter of Minnesota Lawmakers Potentially Facing Federal Death Penalty: What We Know About Vance L. Boelter

Boelter is facing federal charges related to the stalking of both lawmakers, the murder of Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of Hoffman and his wife. He is also being charged on the state level in connection with the murder of Hortman and her husband, as well as the shooting of Hoffman and his wife.

Authorities said Monday that Boelter went to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials in between the shootings as well. Law enforcement officials recovered a “manifesto” from the vehicle believed to be used by the suspect that they said listed Hortman’s and Hoffman’s names, among a number of local lawmakers and organizations. Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith was among the names on Boelter’s list, she told NPR.