NEW POLL OF NEARLY 300 FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOWS DISTURBING RISE IN THREAT OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE
84% Across Parties Are Concerned About Election-Related Violence In 2024; Female, Racial Minority Members Receive More Threats
Washington, DC — The U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst partnered together to conduct a survey of nearly 300 Former Members of Congress from both chambers and both sides of the aisle. The survey contained questions spanning a wide range of topics, including whether Former Members viewed the 2020 election results as legitimate and whether Former Members regretted their time in Congress. However, one common thread emerged from across the data: the increased level of political violence Members of Congress fear and experience today.
“While these results are extremely upsetting, it’s exactly why we felt conducting this survey was so important,” said Pete Weichlein, FMC CEO. “Political tension in our country is clearly coming to a boiling point, and awareness of these findings may be the first step to combatting it.”
“Combining the methodological and substantive expertise of the scholars at the UMass Poll with the FMC's vast network and stellar reputation among Former Members has yielded a first-of-its-kind deep, systematic look at what is likely the most elite survey sample ever collected. These data give us a window into the experiences and opinions, on a wide range of topics, of a group of individuals with first-hand knowledge of the highest levels of American politics and governance,” said Alex Theodoridis, Co-Director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll. “The opinions expressed by both Democrats and Republicans in our sample, warn of a five-alarm fire threatening to engulf American democracy and the institutions upon which our republic rests.”
One of the most shocking statistics within the results is that 84% of the Former Members of Congress surveyed said they were concerned about the possibility of violence related to the 2024 Presidential Election, including 74% of Republicans and 94% of Democrats surveyed.
Another unnerving finding is that there has been a recent increase in the number and frequency of threats to Members of Congress and their families during their time in office. 47% of respondents indicated that they receive threats at least somewhat frequently; 49% of Republicans and 46% of Democrats. However, for Former Members of Congress who are female or a racial minority, that number is even higher at 69% percent. The group surveyed also reported an uptick in the number of threats against Members of their Congressional staff.
“There is nothing new about people criticizing or disliking certain Members of Congress, but the uptick in violent threats towards our politicians is incredibly disturbing,” said the Honorable L.F. Payne (D-VA, 1988-1997), FMC President. “Partisan disagreements should not lead to violence or threats. The results of this survey showcase a need for drastic action.”
Furthermore, when asked to describe the current state of Congress in a few words, among the top responses were the words: dysfunctional, polarized, partisan, and divisive.
FMC is a non-advocacy, nonpartisan group founded in 1970 and chartered by Congress in 1983. It is a voluntary alliance of more than 800 Former U.S. Senators and Representatives working to strengthen Congress in the conduct of its Constitutional responsibility through promoting a collaborative approach to policymaking and deepening the public’s understanding of our democratic system.
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