Earlier this month, former Minnesota state Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband were murdered in their home. Another lawmaker, State Sen. John Hoffman, along with his wife, were also targeted, but survived.
The alleged killer is Vance Boelter, 57, who reportedly had a hit list. He is currently in custody and his wife has spoken out about the situation, calling his actions a “betrayal.”
Alleged assassin Vance Boelter’s wife breaks silence, says violence a ‘betrayal’ of Christian faith
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) June 26, 2025
Jenny Boelter said she and her children are "completely blindsided" by the killings and are cooperating fully with law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/IHqy2LNG0j
A new poll from Quinnipiac University asked registered voters about their thoughts on “politically motivated violence.”
In the results, 91 percent of respondents said that they think politically motivated violence is a serious problem in the United States. Fifty-four percent called it a “very serious” problem, while 37 percent called it a “somewhat serious” problem.
"There is broad agreement across party lines that a cloud of potential political violence looms over the country," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement.
One year ago, PBS published a report claiming that their latest poll at the time showed that one-in-five US adults believed that Americans would have to resort to violence to get their country on the path they want (via PBS):
“Violence isn’t the way to get our country back on track,” said David Avella, chairman of GOPAC, a Republican state and local political training organization. He noted that the United States is “still a country where Democrats and Republicans and independents still hang out with one another” and where most people (68 percent, according to this poll) feel the American Dream remains attainable.
“We’re still a country that believes in law and order, and everybody still has to play by the rules,” Avella said.