What's going on: This weekend’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner put a spotlight back on the rise of political violence. Since 2024, President Donald Trump has survived three assassination attempts, Charlie Kirk was publicly killed, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-PA) home was set on fire, and State Representative Melissa Hortman (D-MN) was assassinated. As if that's not scary enough, increasing evidence shows that women in office are disproportionately targeted. Recent examples: The Hortman incident, the kidnapping plot against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), and pizza delivery threats against women judges. Two recent reports found that violence, harassment, and abuse are the top reasons why women and young lawmakers leave office.
The takeaway: America arguably needs more women and young people in office — not less. Only a quarter of US senators are women, and the average age in the chamber is almost 65. A February report found threats of violence were a “serious deterrent” for both recruiting and retaining politicians, especially those who are women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The government is already spending millions more than before to protect both candidates and elected officials. Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday he’d like to see Secret Service security “tighten up,” but analysts say they’ve heard that before. Meanwhile, The 19th asked law enforcement what they’re actually doing to protect lawmakers in all 50 states. Some answers were better than others (yes, you can see how your state did).
