>> As the political tenor in America continues to
deteriorate, threats against politicians have
increased, some only online, others very much real and
in person. As part of our continuing series on the
most important issues of the election for governor
"Here& Now", senior political reporter Zac
Schultz asked the leading candidates about this topic.
>> Running for governor is a huge commitment, but in
the current political environment, it means
candidates and their families also need to
consider their own personal safety when deciding to run.
We asked the leading candidates whether that
factored into their decision to enter the race,
and if they have concerns for their personal safety.
>> We are in a politically charged environment and
it's kind of hectic out there. I had, you know,
somebody I had threats before that were, you know,
made to me. It's not a fun thing to experience. And,
you know, it's always back of mind. But I can tell you
like I'm, I'm focused on doing what's right. I'm
going to continue to stay focused on what's doing
right. Violence is absolutely a problem. It's
in it's an issue. It's something that we cannot
ignore. But I can't let that slow me down either.
>> No more than how dangerous it is to drive
here from western Wisconsin on an icy day. You know,
certainly it's disappointing to see the
level of. Noise that is created around politics
these days. And Wisconsinites are looking
bring that noise level down. That's what I'm going to do.
And, you know, despite security concerns, despite
things like that, I have the energy to be in this
conversation. That's what Wisconsinites need. I don't.
>> I love Wisconsin and I believe in Wisconsinites,
and I believe that they want us to have an open
dialog for politics. And so I do not have any concerns
about my personal safety. >> It's disappointing that
political violence has become such a frequent
occurrence, and I'm fortunate to have a
campaign team and a community and volunteers
across the state that I think are going to remain
supportive. And I, I do not have concerns for my
personal safety. >> I guess I still believe
that campaigns are about ideas, and I absolutely I
know that there are going to be people who disagree
with me and disagree with me on the campaign. You
know, I hope and expect that they're going to do
that honorably. I am more than willing to take pot
shots that people have online. And, you know, and
there's a lot of that. And, and I, you know, I have to
have a thick skin around that, but I hope that we're
at a place and I hope we can demonstrate in
Wisconsin that we do things civilly.
about it a little bit, especially in light of the
assassination of Charlie Kirk and, of course, the
attempts on President Trump's life in 2024 where
he almost lost his life. So we do think about it more
at this point, but I just I try to tune it out because
I'm going to do my job and. Wisconsinites are almost
everyone is really good about this stuff, whether
I'm knocking on doors, seeing people, whatever.
People are almost always respectful. And I think
it's important for us to be out amongst the public, and
I'm not going to stop doing that just because some
people have their lives threatened.
huge uptick in political rhetoric and political
violence happening all across this country. And
quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of it. It is
unfortunate that we're seeing the level of
violence just for being able to deliver on behalf
of those that we represent every single day. And so,
you know, whether you're a Republican or Democrat, we
need we really need to end the political rhetoric in
this violent rhetoric that has been out there and
really focus on how do we make lives better for those
that we represent? >> I do, and it's something
that I, I take seriously, my staff and my family take
it seriously. And I think it's, it's very unfortunate
that we have political leaders at the very top of
our system whose use of violent rhetoric and
violent actions are making us all less safe. And as
Americans, you know, every one of us lives with the
specter of gun violence. Every time your kid walks
out the door to school, every time you go to church
or a concert, you have to think, is this going to
become a mass shooting event? We have to do so
much more to help all Americans be safe and free
from violence. And there's a lot that states can do to