RICHMOND, Va. — Political experts warn that Saturday's deadly attack on two Minnesota lawmakers is raising security concerns for elected officials across the nation and in Virginia.
Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin home, about 9 miles away.
A manhunt continued Sunday evening for the 57-year-old suspect. Police said Vance Boelter wore a mask as he posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car.
WATCH: Photos show police searching for man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota state lawmakers
"I don't think you can get into the political arena right now without considering that this is a possibility — maybe somewhat remote still in Virginia — but it's a real-life possibility," Dr. Bob Holsworth, a political analyst for WTVR CBS 6, said.
Holsworth described Saturday's shootings as a "horrific day" and noted that violence targeting lawmakers is becoming increasingly common across party lines.
"More and more people are taking out their cultural and social and political resentments and resorting to violence, and it's become even more disturbing than I can imagine," he added.
The Minnesota incident joins a growing list of attacks on U.S. political figures over the past decade. In April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was targeted in an arson attack. President Donald Trump faced two assassination attempts in 2024. In 2022, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked with a hammer inside their San Francisco home. A 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia injured multiple Republican lawmakers.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the attack and posted on social media, "Political violence is not just a crime against those tragically killed or wounded, but a crime against our entire republic."
Political violence is not just a crime against those tragically killed or wounded, but a crime against our entire republic. We must all condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms, and I ask all Virginians to pray for the grieving family of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the…
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) June 14, 2025
Sen. Mark Warner (D) also expressed concern: "Political violence should have no place in America — this is a tragic, senseless act."
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrible violence in Minnesota. Political violence should have no place in America — this is a tragic, senseless act.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) June 14, 2025
Holsworth said "everybody in the political arena" should be very concerned about the "potential for violence directed at them simply because they're espousing their views."
Currently, full-time Capitol Police protection is typically reserved for top congressional leaders unless specific threats exist. However, this practice may change as lawmakers nationwide reevaluate security protocols in response to increasing threats.
"We're seeing that in Congress, but by and large, this incident yesterday should give second thoughts to everybody in the Virginia General Assembly about what they are going to do," Holsworth said. "You have these individuals who have access to weaponry, who have some grievances and resentments, and they're taking this out."
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