- Two Minnesota lawmakers were shot on Saturday, with one dying and the other recovering, in the latest instance of political violence recently. The shooting comes nearly a year after an assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and follows politically motivated violence that has also targeted top companies.
The shooting of two lawmakers in Minnesota on Saturday was the latest instance of political violence that has also seen top companies being targeted.
State Rep. Melissa Hortman, 55 years old, and her husband were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home. Elsewhere, in Champlin, State Sen. John Hoffman, 60, and his wife were also shot at home and are recovering after undergoing surgery.
Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as “an act of targeted political violence.” A manhunt is underway for the shooter, who was posing as a law enforcement officer, according to authorities.
Nearly a year ago in July 2024, Donald Trump was nearly assassinated during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Trump was injured and a spectator was killed. The gunman was also killed.
Just two months later, the Secret Service foiled another assassination attempt, this time in Florida, where Trump was playing golf.
This past April, an alleged arsonist targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro with a firebomb. A warrant cited “perceived injustices to the people of Palestine.”
Meanwhile, companies have also become targets. Earlier this year, Tesla vehicles and dealerships were damaged by fires as CEO Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration and his DOGE cost-cutting drive spurred a backlash.
In April, a man was federally charged with arson attacks against the Republican Party headquarters in New Mexico and a Tesla dealership.
In December, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York ahead of the company’s investor day.
Luigi Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges, wrote a manifesto laying out his grievances against the insurance industry while also sharing his views on the politics of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.
And those are just some examples of political violence from the past year alone.
In 2021, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were about to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. In 2017, a gunman shot members of Congress at a baseball diamond in Alexandria, Va., wounding four people, including Republican Rep. Steve Scalise. And in 2011, a gunman killed six people in Arizona and seriously wounded Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was holding an event for constituents.
