In the wake of horrifying political violence—including the mass shooting in Minnesota that killed Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, and critically injured Senator John Hoffman and his wife—the Clark County Democrats join millions of Americans in grief, outrage, and a firm call for peace, accountability, and unity. We believe in a United States where democracy transcends party and violence has no place.

We remember how, in 2017, after the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise, leaders from both parties came together as Americans. That bipartisan moment of solidarity helped ease national tensions and we mourned together, across party lines. We also unequivocally condemned the violent attacks against Donald Trump. President Biden quickly identified the actions as “sick” and “unacceptable,” and he and Vice President Harris each personally called Trump after the assassination attempts to express their concern, praise the Secret Service response, and affirm the need for unity and civility across party lines. Today, that kind of leadership is disturbingly absent. As violence escalates, the current administration responds with silence and derision.

Only a few Republican officials have issued clear condemnations and condolence. Others, including Utah Senator Mike Lee and President Donald Trump, have fueled the fire. The senator has exacerbated the pain of a family and community by ridiculing the murders on social media. This, alongside the president’s refusal to call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, while publicly mocking him as “whacked out” and “a mess,” saying that making a phone call would be “a waste of time” is a failure of moral leadership.

We ask our fellow Democrats, activists, and community members to meet this moment with civility, courage, and a continued commitment to nonviolence. We ask our local Republicans to stand with us in condemning the violence and request calm, principled leadership from those at the highest levels of government.