John,
We all know the political arena is not a place for the faint of heart. Now threats against elected officials are tightening the screws further. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer canceled his appearances to promote his new book “Antisemitism in America” due to security concerns. Republican Senator Thom Tillis released recordings of death threats against him and his staff. And the U.S. Capitol Police investigated over 9,000 threats against members of Congress in 2024 alone – nearly 30 threats a day.
For some, even that is not enough. In December alone, 50 members of Congress were targeted in “swatting” attacks – a dangerous hoax that sends armed police to a lawmaker’s home, creating the real possibility of a deadly outcome. Former Rep. Mike Gallagher, a former member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, left Congress after his family was targeted in one of these incidents. As he put it: “I signed up for this. My family didn’t.”
And the threats go beyond Congress. The New York Times reported this week about the litany of threats federal judges are facing, including a pipe bomb someone sent to Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s mailbox, likely in retaliation for her ruling against the Trump administration’s attempted hold on foreign aid. And at multiple locations across the country, political opponents of Elon Musk are torching Tesla cars to protest his perceived influence in the new administration.
Peyton Lofton, our Senior Policy Analyst, gives a detailed overview in his latest No Labels Substack, which you can read and subscribe to HERE.
It is no coincidence that the lawmakers and officials most willing to think for themselves are also often the ones facing the greatest political and personal risks.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, one of the few in her party willing to publicly criticize President Trump when she believes he is wrong, recently described how fear is silencing her colleagues.
“You’ve got everyone zip-lipped. Not saying a word, because they’re afraid they’re going to be taken down, they’re going to be primaried, they’re going to be given names in the media,” she said this week. “We cannot be cowed into not speaking up.”
She is right. And this silencing is happening across the board. As we wrote earlier this week, the members of Congress most willing to work across the aisle are also the ones being deliberately targeted by both parties for defeat. That is how we end up with a government that rewards the loudest, most extreme voices while driving out those who try to solve problems.
In today’s political climate, it is easy to fall in line. It is easy to stay silent to avoid becoming a target.
But that is not leadership.
The lawmakers we support are not just standing up to their opponents. They are standing up to their own parties, their own donors, and their own bases. They are doing the hardest thing in politics: thinking for themselves and refusing to be intimidated.
We need to stand with them. Violence, intimidation, and harassment have no place in our democracy – no matter where they come from.
Nancy Jacobson
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