Multiple Democratic candidates for political office have had to withdraw this year after threats and violence
In April, a candidate for mayor in Binghamton, NY (population 47,000) was threatened and attacked simply for running for office:
Quote:
Michael Treiman, a manager at a solar company, announced in April that he was running against Binghamton, New York, Mayor Richard David, a Republican. Treiman dropped out a week later after being threatened both online and on his property. Four hours after Treiman went on local radio to discuss his challenge, he received emails, directed at his wife and three children, expressing “heinous attempts to scare me off,” he later said. That same day, as Treiman returned home after picking up his 2-year-old and 11-month-old children from a sitter, an unidentified man in a truck yelled “liberal scumbag” and threw a full soda container that hit Treiman in the back while he was protecting his infant.
Last week Kim Weaver, running to challenge notorious racist Steve King's House seat in Iowa, withdrew after receiving death threats.
I'd say this is new, but remember, back during the Obama years Republicans were the party of "second amendment remedies" and all that. The GOP has always been full of deplorables.