This weekend, America was shaken by the targeted political assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Just miles away, Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot and critically injured in their home. Authorities confirm that both families were deliberately attacked in their residences by a man posing as a police officer—an act that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rightly described as a politically motivated assassination.

We are heartbroken for the families of those killed and wounded. We are praying for Senator Hoffman and his wife as they fight to survive. And we are standing with Minnesotans who are grieving not just a loss of life, but an assault on public service and civic life itself.

These attacks were not random. They were aimed squarely at elected officials—people chosen by their communities to lead and serve. This was meant to silence and terrorize. It was meant to send a message to others who would dare to govern in a time of division and extremism.

Political violence has no place in a democracy. It is not protest, it is not rhetoric—it is a strategy of terror. And we reject it completely.

The Red Clay Democrats stand with all those who believe that political disagreement should never lead to bloodshed. We recommit ourselves to the work of building a democracy where every public servant, regardless of party, can serve without fear for their life or the lives of their loved ones.