To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Make threatening political candidates a criminal offense.
Just this month, 2 candidates running for office have dropped out of their races because they and their families were threatened with physical violence and death. Intimidating potential office holders is an assault on our democracy. Anyone who commits this act and anyone who aids the commission of this act should be arrested, charged with a felony, fined and sentenced to serious jail time.
Why is this important?
We don't require our representatives to have a specific background, sometimes to our detriment. All we ask is that they have the desire to serve their constituents honestly and to work for the public good. Recently 2 potential candidates, Kim Weaver (Iowa) and Michael Treiman (New York) received threats of violence against their families and themselves if they continued to run for office. As a result, both dropped out of their respective races, leaving their opponents to run unopposed. This is a direct attack on our democracy. This is not and should not be a partisan issue. Anyone who attempts to subvert our democracy by threatening potential candidates with threats of violence and/or death endangers the very foundation of our government and should face imprisonment and heavy fines.