2nd Quarter 2025 President’s Message

For more than a century, the Wisconsin Policy Forum has stood for addressing the problems of our state through informed and civil debate. Nothing could run more counter to those principles than acts of political violence, and that is why we have watched the events of the past year with deep unease and alarm.

We will set aside the question of whether acts of political threats and violence are rising – it is a difficult question to answer empirically. Recent events are by themselves enough to demonstrate the gravity of the problem. Here is but a portion of the sad tally over the past twelve months:

• A Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed and another lawmaker and his wife were wounded by an alleged assassin. The man detained for the shootings also reportedly had Wisconsin lawmakers on a list of potential targets.
• President Donald Trump survived two separate assassination attempts last year in the runup to the November election. The first attempt in the Pennsylvania community of Butler left one attendee at a Trump rally dead and two more wounded.
• A man set fire to the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in April while the leader and his family were inside.
• In December, the chief executive officer of the insurer United Healthcare was killed in an attack that has garnered considerable attention for the man charged with the shooting.

Wisconsin has not been immune from events like these. In June 2022, retired Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer was murdered in his home.

The horror, loss, and trauma of these events speak for themselves – they are a wound in the side of our republic. But beyond the loss of life and injury, these events also risk doing further damage to our democracy by depriving us of good leaders and public servants at every level of government.

No school board member, judge, lawmaker, senator, or president should have to fear for their safety or that of their family. It is reasonable to think that these threats and attacks may be dissuading some from seeking out or remaining in public service. These acts are likely contributing to greater security costs for taxpayers to guard those elected officials who remain willing to serve. Violence also may diminish the legitimate opportunities that citizens have to interact with their elected officials and learn about their schedule and whereabouts. Last, these crimes may also deter policymakers from pursuing necessary but controversial actions that would anger some but advance the public good.

For its part, the Forum has always stood for civil approaches to addressing our problems and we will continue to do so. Though this nation has a long history of political violence, we should neither accustom nor resign ourselves to it. Moments like these are times to speak out in unity against such attacks and work together diligently and thoughtfully to put an end to them.