Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan cancelled a town hall scheduled in her district this week after the Democrat’s name appeared on a list of targets that allegedly belonged to the man who shot and killed a state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota over the weekend.
“Nothing matters more to me than the safety and well-being of the people I serve,” read a statement Scholten sent to reporters Monday afternoon. “After being made aware that my name was on a list connected to the recent tragic shooting in Minnesota, my office has made the difficult decision to postpone our planned town hall in Muskegon.”
Scholten’s name appeared alongside a long list of other lawmakers that authorities say was compiled by 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who was arrested Monday. He stands accused of fatally shooting the state’s Democratic House Speaker, Melissa Hortman, and her husband. He is also accused of shooting Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who are expected to survive the attack.
Scholten said she plans to reschedule the town hall. She is currently campaigning for reelection in what was long a historically Republican seat in western Michigan. She narrowly won in 2022 campaigning on abortion rights, the first Democrat to win the seat since 1977.
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Friends of Boelter told the Associated Press that he was a devout Christian and a registered Republican who had attended Trump rallies and had expressed strong views against abortion. In addition to lawmakers, Boelter’s list of targets included abortion rights advocates and health care officials.
In an interview with western Michigan’s WOOD-TV, Scholten said she was informed Sunday night by Michigan State Police that her name was included on the shooter’s list, before Boelter was arrested. Local authorities worked together to establish a protection detail, Scholten told WOOD-TV.
She wasn’t the only lawmaker inquiring about special protection. As members made their way back to Capitol Hill on Monday, many were asked questions triggered by the weekend violence, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who claimed her security was increased without her request.
“This is a concerning time and there’s a lot of people who are feeling afraid right now. Political violence is on the rise in this country,” Scholten told WOOD-TV. “And I think it’s a real warning on all of us to come together and lower the temperatures and make sure that we can have civil discourse instead of political violence as a form of political speech.”
The shootings in Minnesota also took place just two months after Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home was set on fire with him and his family inside. Cody Balmer, 38, has since been charged with attempted murder, terrorism and aggravated arson for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails into Shapiro’s residence.
Following the tragedies in Minnesota, Shapiro said Saturday in a statement that the moment marks “news of yet another act of political violence in our country.”
“This is unacceptable — we all have a responsibility to stand up and work to defeat the political violence that is tearing through our country. America is better than this,” Shapiro said.
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Amelia Benavides-Colón is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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