For Immediate Release:
Suffield, Connecticut
April 27, 2026
On Saturday night, we witnessed another attack on the President of the United States, on our political process, and, by proxy, on all of us as Americans.
Here in Connecticut, we also saw something else: a family member who did the right thing. When the suspect’s brother in New London received deeply troubling writings, he contacted our local police, who immediately reached out to federal authorities. That is what courage and civic responsibility look like. That is how we must all act as a nation—with clarity, compassion, and a willingness to step up when something is wrong.
Regardless of whether you are black or white, on the left or on the right, our country cannot move forward if we keep demonizing the people we disagree with instead of debating the policies we oppose. In recent years, the way too many political voices have framed the conversation has become dangerous. When we attack people instead of ideas, those words can eventually manifest as actions.
We need to start healing by “re‑humanizing” one another, beginning with anyone we might see as an adversary. We can be tough, honest, and direct without stripping each other of basic dignity.
I want to take this opportunity to call for unity now. We must come together as citizens and as a culture. In astrophysics, it is often said that life is likely the rarest occurrence in the universe. I happen to agree. That’s why I find it appropriate to recall the words of President John F. Kennedy:
“For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”
With that in mind, I pledge never to use language that dehumanizes or demonizes any political opponent I face, and never to endorse the use of any weapon against any fellow American, other than a healthy, strenuous, meaningful debate.
It is my hope that we, as a nation—and as the people of Connecticut’s Second District—can learn from this narrowly averted tragedy. Let us stand together against political violence in all its forms and make it clear that we will defend our Constitution, our elections, and our Republic without flinching, and that we will do so with courage and conviction.
