The Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot and IL Sen. Deb Conroy's threats underline the growing abuse of women officials.
Whitmer appears to have been among the women lawmakers targeted in part due to gender. The men who prosecutors say participated in the plot came from different states, and she was not the only U.S. governor to impose pandemic-related restrictions.
Women lawmakers who are also ethnic minorities are particularly likely to face abuse, the study found. Among those targeted most often were Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called out a culture of"accepting violence and violent language against women" during a 2020 House floor speech after a GOP lawmaker's verbal assault.
Conroy, who had to close her office, work with authorities to remove her address from the internet and cancel public events, said the vitriol in politics"exponentially changed" when Donald Trump became president. That's created another structural barrier to running for office, particularly in lower levels of government where the jobs don't come with a security detail or budget, said Hunter. The Barbara Lee Family Foundation works to increase women's representation in politics.