HARRISBURG, Pa. — “It is hard for us, as we walk through these halls, to know that he was here as well,” Governor Josh Shapiro said, reflecting on the recent attack that shook the state.
In recent months, leaders from across the state, the country, and even internationally have reached out to Shapiro to offer support. Many of these conversations have inevitably turned to a growing fear: could they or their families be the next target?
“I’ve talked to people who are thinking about running for office who have said they don’t want to because they don’t want to put their families at risk,” Shapiro said during a news conference. “These are good people who just want to serve, want to do right by their communities.”
Shapiro and his wife have always been aware that public service carries risks. “But I have to tell you that before this attack, those risks just felt very theoretical to me — something that might happen elsewhere to someone else, but couldn’t happen here,” he added. “Sadly, this made it all real.”
Speaking to CNN, the governor warned that political violence in the U.S. is at a tipping point and called on leaders across the political spectrum to step forward with solutions.
“We need all leaders to speak and act with moral clarity, to call it out, to condemn it, and to try and take down the temperature, so we don’t end up in situations like this,” he said.
Shapiro also addressed former President Donald Trump’s response, saying that Trump has consistently blamed Democrats for fueling political violence, despite data and real-world examples that contradict this claim.
“He should know better. He should want to bring down the temperature, and yet he’s been cherry-picking which violence he wants to condemn,” Shapiro told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “To suggest that the responsibility of political violence exists on just one side of the aisle or another is absolutely wrong.”
While Shapiro emphasized that his family is “not willing to live in fear,” he acknowledged the lasting impact of the attack. “We will forever be changed by this,” he said. “We know that time will heal, but the scars will remain.”