The rise of political violence in the U.S.

Federal authorities posted murder and stalking charges against Vance Boelter Monday, saying he went to the homes of two other state lawmakers early Saturday morning between shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, and killing DFL House leader Melissa Hortman and her husband.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said more than 45 Minnesota state and federal officials were on Boelter’s target list — all of them Democrats.

The shootings are part of a string of high-profile political violence across the country in recent years.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the rise in sharp polarization in the U.S. and the threat of political violence. 

Guests:  

• Lilliana Mason is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of “Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity.” And she is the co-author of “Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy.” 

• Kathryn Pearson is a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. She is also the associate dean of undergraduate education and the director of the University Honors Program.

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.