Violence casts shadow over politics in US

With midterms underway, increasing attacks seen undermining democracy

An attack on the husband of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has heightened concerns over political violence as emotions run high with the midterm congressional elections on Tuesday.

Paul Pelosi, 82, was attacked at his San Francisco home on Oct 28 with a hammer by an intruder named David DePape. He was admitted to hospital with injuries to the head and body.

The suspect told investigators he had intended to kidnap the speaker and shatter her kneecaps. Before the home invasion, he had posted links to right-wing conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic content.

The attack is among the most high-profile incidents of political violence in recent times, with many believing the problem has worsened over recent weeks.

Harassment of political candidates and voter intimidation has been reported in many parts of the country. The rising violence has led some local authorities to "elevate vigilance" on election day.

In response to the attack on Paul Pelosi, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and the US Capitol Police jointly warned that political candidates, election officials and the public face a heightened risk of violence during the campaign.

The risk of violence has been fueled by an increase in violent extremism, and those carrying out such attacks are likely to be motivated by ideological reasons, according to the warning of the US security agencies.

The ideological reasons, the advisory from the agencies suggests, are related to the 2020 presidential election and the false claim that Donald Trump, seeking a second term as president, was the rightful winner of the contest with Democrat Joe Biden.

Biden, in a speech on Wednesday, also placed the blame on Trump, accusing him of cultivating lies "for power and profit" and causing targeted violence.

"We can't take democracy for granted any longer," said the US president, warning that the future of the country relies on the perceived integrity of the midterm elections as Republican candidates at all levels "won't commit to accepting the results".

In recent years, conspiracy theories over election fraud have fueled political violence, including an attack on the US Capitol in Washington on Jan 6, 2021.

The US Capitol Police investigated some 9,600 threats against lawmakers in 2021 and opened 1,820 cases against individuals making threats against Congress members in the first quarter of 2022.

The security agencies' warning said new theories of fraud are emerging and undermining the midterm elections.

Citing concerns about voter fraud, conservative groups Lions of Liberty and Clean Elections USA undertook campaigns to monitor ballot drop boxes in Arizona last month.

Armed and masked people, with many wearing tactical response gear, were captured on surveillance footage in Maricopa County, Arizona. Voters complained that the poll watchers were following people who dropped off ballots and taking photos of their license plates.

Restraining order

In response, a US district judge in Phoenix issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits activists from coming within 75 feet (23 meters) of drop boxes, carrying guns openly within 250 feet of the boxes and speaking to people depositing ballots unless spoken to first.

The New York Police Department had called for "elevated vigilance" for the election in an internal memo. The department warned that extremists could target political events and polling sites, putting poll workers and political candidates at risk.

Georgia last month rolled out a security alert service allowing poll managers across the state to quickly report election day security incidents to law enforcement.

Lindsay Cui, a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, said she has yet to "feel threatened because I live in a very liberal area". "But I'm worried about the brazen in-your-face tactics used by those MAGA groups to prevent people from voting in many conservative states, where political leaders are openly fanning hatred and xenophobia," she said.

"If these extremists are allowed to continue their intimidation, it is only a matter of time before political violence or killings will happen. I fear this will lead to a new civil war."

Her fear of a civil war echoes the findings of a nationwide survey that reveals alarming trends toward political violence in the US.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and released in July, found that 67.2 percent of respondents perceive there is "a serious threat to our democracy", and 50.1 percent agree that "in the next several years, there will be civil war in the United States".

The researchers said the findings suggest a continuing high level of alienation and mistrust of US society and its institutions.

"These findings exceeded our worst expectations," said Garen Wintemute, lead author of the study, in a media release.