Could rising targeted harassment force a future where only the most heavily guarded individuals dare to hold public office?

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Yes — if targeted harassment keeps rising without stronger protections, public office could increasingly become a job only people with money, security infrastructure, or unusually high tolerance for danger will accept. Alma Hernandez’s experience shows how the cost of service is shifting from political to personal. Her home has been hardened with cameras, bars, alarms and family support after years of violent threats, doxxing and gunfire nearby. That pattern is not isolated. Surveys and threat data show harassment of public officials is now common across levels of government, from local mayors to judges and members of Congress. Researchers warn that even when attacks are rare, persistent threats alone can discourage candidates, distort how officials work and push experienced people out. The bigger democratic risk is not only physical harm. It is who decides not to run. Evidence from studies of local officials and women in politics shows threats and abuse can lead people to self-censor, avoid public appearances, reconsider re-election or leave politics altogether. That can narrow the field to the wealthy, the famous, the heavily protected, or the ideologically hardened. Still, this outcome is not inevitable. Experts say the most effective response is not turning politics into a permanently fortified space, but lowering the threat level through faster threat investigation, tougher enforcement against doxxing and intimidation, better platform moderation, security funding for st…

Arizona Police Probe Death Threat Against Alma Hernandez After 1 Message Vowed to Torture and Murder Her

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Arizona Police Probe Death Threat Against Alma Hernandez After 1 Message Vowed to Torture and Murder Her

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