Two Minnesota GOP candidates and a Nevada GOP campaign manager were attacked in separate incidents over the last week as some Democratic leaders call for an end to civility in the run-up to the 2018 elections.
Six-term Minnesota Representative Sarah Anderson confronted a man kicking campaign signs in Plymouth only to have the man lunge at her, forcing her into the street and telling her “Go kill yourself.” Anderson tracked the man to a gas station, where she filmed him as he ran at her and allegedly punched her in the arm.
'When they go low, we kick 'em': Obama's AG calls on Democrats to shed civility
Anderson told local TV station WCCO that the attack has not changed her campaign plans, saying she refuses to “live in fear.” The Plymouth police department believes it has identified the man in Anderson’s photograph, but no further information about him has been released and there were no witnesses to the gas station attack.
Minnesota House candidate Shane Mekeland received a concussion in an unrelated attack during a recent campaign event at a St. George Township bar. His assailant, a “much, much bigger person” who “did not seem dangerous” when he first approached the candidate, told Mekeland he was angry that politicians had abandoned the middle class, though he didn’t openly blame either of the two parties.
Benton County Sherriff Troy Heck confirmed police have interviewed the suspect but have not yet charged him with a crime. According to Mekeland, the suspect admitted attacking him without provocation. Mekeland says he spoke to the press about the incident in the hope of promoting a return to “civil discourse,” blaming prominent Democrats including Maxine Waters, Eric Holder, and Hillary Clinton for “driving this behavior” with their recent comments.
Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party also suspended communications staffer William Davis for one week without pay after he made a Facebook post about bringing Republicans “to the guillotine” the day after Election Day. Jennifer Carnahan, Chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, called for Davis to be fired, citing the attacks on Anderson and Mekeland and death threats that she herself had received while working for the party.
Meanwhile, in Nevada, Wilfred Michael Stark III, a member of the David Brock-founded American Bridge 21st Century group, was arrested after roughing up Kristin Davison, campaign manager for Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt, at an East Las Vegas campaign event. Davison claims Stark grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let go, pushing her against a wall and leaving her “terrified and traumatized” with bruises on her arms and neck.
Stark reportedly remains in custody in Las Vegas. He has a history of attacking female Republican operatives, having previously been arrested for assaulting Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s press secretary Heather Swift, and was arrested for disorderly conduct while covering another Republican gubernatorial campaign.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder made headlines last week when he said “When they go low, we kick ‘em” – the latest in a string of questionable statements by prominent Democrats in the runup to Election Day.
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