Harrisburg, PA − May 13, 2026 − The following statement was issued by House Speaker Joanna McClinton, Majority Leader Matt Bradford, Republican Leader Jesse Topper and Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa regarding the recent threats of violence targeted at members of the General Assembly.
A central Pennsylvania man was arrested last week for allegedly singling out several members of the General Assembly as targets on a Memorial Day hitlist. These threats are extremely disturbing, not just to the members identified, but to all public figures who are contending with an increasingly hostile environment.
As leaders of the General Assembly, we know that disagreement and debate are features of a healthy democracy. Threats of violence and harm are not. We condemn any threat against any of our colleagues who are faithfully serving their communities and pledge to support mental health care, intervention, and law enforcement funding that make our state safer.
The threats are a symptom of a greater sickness in our democracy. The escalation of political violence has reached an astounding level, impacting elected officials from school boards to the president of the United States. Pennsylvania has not been immune to that violence.
As Pennsylvanians we can’t and won’t allow political violence to become commonplace in our commonwealth. We won’t allow it to discourage good people from becoming involved in their communities and seeking public office. We won’t accept it as the consequence of public service.