Local legislators, candidates react to Trump rally shooting

Political division continues to increase in the United States as both sides of the political aisle point fingers at one another in the wake of the recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Trump was injured after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired an AR-style rifle at the former president from the roof of a building less than 150 meters away from the stage Saturday, July 13, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Local legislators and candidates spoke out against political violence, saying it has no place in our political system while expressing their condolences to those who were injured or killed at the event. However, fingers continued to be pointed across the aisle as several cited President Joe Biden's recent quote saying, "We’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bull's-eye.”

"Words have consequences. We should expect more from our political leaders," District 147 state Rep. John Voss said. "Role modeling starts at the top of every organization. We are seeing the results of the behaviors that our leaders are tolerating. I look forward to President Biden offering an apology to President Trump for Biden’s reckless language."

To reduce the tension surrounding politics in the country, Voss called for in-person discussions at a local level and pointed to social media as an issue.

"Locally, it’s important we actually talk to each other in person, and not hide behind a screen or comments," Voss said. "Keyboard warriors are cowards. Social media today is fanning these flames and it’s unfortunate."

District 146 state Rep. Barry Hovis said he learned of the shooting while at a birthday party for his niece.

"Somebody texted us and said, 'Hey, the (former) president's been shot,' which just stopped everything," Hovis said. "We went and turned the news on and I was stunned to hear it. Of course, we didn't know how bad it was and then, of course, it was very bad because another person, Mr. (Corey) Comperatore, lost his life. Fortunately, the president was just kind of nicked, which was just God's grace."

Hovis said he didn't believe Biden meant for anyone to take it literally when he said to "put Trump in a bull's-eye", but that the language could cause someone who is radicalized to take action.

"There's people out there with troubled minds, or if they're an extremist, they may take that as gospel, and I think that needs to be toned down from everyone," Hovis said. "So I would hope that we as a nation get together to get that down a little bit. Let's all pull together and go out and state our differences, do it in a civil way, even when we agree to disagree, and then try to continue to keep our country as the best place in the world."

District 148 state Rep. and District 27 state Senate candidate Jamie Burger said the incident was an "all-time low" for the country and that he was "sick to (his) stomach" when he heard the news.

"I think we're from one extreme to the other, and somehow we have to work this out," Burger said. "Prayer is powerful and it can help. We continue to pray that we can all get together as a nation, and even though I wouldn't agree with everybody on their politics, there's no way I would resort to physical violence toward them, ever, in any shape or form. It's just not the way it should be.

"Prayer is powerful and the more we can exercise that, the more we can get to where we need to be. I don't have a big solution for (violence). A lot of people want to lash out and I don't think it's the way it should be. I think even if you disagree with someone, you ought to have the ability to talk and reason with each other, and, at some point in time, respectfully disagree."

District 146 Missouri House of Representatives candidate Lucas Green, a Republican who will challenge Hovis in August's primary, said he believes the current political climate is "due to higher stakes, which stems from increased government control at the federal, state and local levels.

"Historically, the country did not enter a crisis when President (James A.) Garfield was assassinated because the government was less involved in daily life," Green said. "Reducing government involvement in some areas could help lower political tensions and reduce the rhetoric."

Green expressed the need to call out hateful speech from both parties and ensure factual information is circulated and called for leaders to step up.

"We must ensure our own words are firm and resolute yet respectful," Green said. "The growing lack of engagement stems from a lack of leadership, which we must address by fostering new leaders to respectfully bring us back together."

Michael Davis, Democratic candidate for the District 147 Missouri House of Representatives seat, said he believes much of the political division in the U.S. comes from people "thinking only one way and (being) unable to see anybody else's point of view". Davis called for unification after the election regardless of who wins the presidency, stating, "Just because you don't get your way doesn't mean that you resort to violence, or that you resort to division or that you resort to name calling.

"Somebody who feels very strongly, in terms of their opinions, doesn't necessarily make them right. It means that they have strong opinions," Davis said. "The rightness or wrongness of something is something that, in a democracy, we decide by a vote of the people. That's why this election is so important. I'm hoping that in some ways, after the election, we can come together as a nation and be more unified. ... We're just people and that's all we are. We're God's people and I think that's the way we need to look at it."

Cape Girardeau County Republican chairman Matt Henson said the incident was "unfortunate and terribly tragic."

"Tragic is a good word for that," Henson said. "Not only what happened to president Trump but to people that participated in the rally. You go to a public event, particularly one as secure as a presidential event typically is, with a presumption of safety. That was all shattered."

Henson said politicians often say things that "aren't intended to be taken literally", using Trump mouthing the words "fight" to the audience as he was being escorted off the stage as an example. Henson said words need to be chosen carefully and asked, "Is there any word or phrase or description you could use that couldn't be misinterpreted?"

"How many people, even in a local race, say they're going to 'go to Jefferson City and fight for you?'" Henson asked. "That's a euphemistic phrase to talk about being a passionate advocate for issues of importance. So for someone to take a term like 'Go to Jefferson City and fight for you', there isn't a presumption that there's going to be physical blows or physical attacks. There is an element that takes things literally, and then goes back and accuses you of inciting violence because you said the word 'fight.'"

Cape Girardeau County Democratic Party chairman Andy Leighton reached across the aisle in the aftermath of the incident, expressing his condolences and concerns to Henson.

"Essentially, I was listening to messaging from President Biden, the state Democratic Party and so forth, and I thought, 'You know, there's so little that people at our level can do, but we can reach out to each other.'"

While many people feel the country is extremely divided because of the current political climate, Leighton said he doesn't think it's "as bad as some people think."

"There is so much competition in the media these days that everybody latches on to dramatic statements and actions," Leighton said. "So it seems like it's a lot worse than ever before. But there's a lot of good stuff going on, too. We have some fantastic candidates running for statewide office as well as local office."