Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

This week, we’re taking a look at the renewed conversation surrounding the safety of elected officials following the shooting of four people in a targeted act of political violence in Minnesota.

Let’s dive in...

A political assassination and a reckoning over lawmaker safety

It’s a headline that reflects the worst nightmares of anyone in public office and those tasked with keeping them safe: two Minnesota lawmakers targeted in a calculated act of political violence.

The attacks have renewed questions about whether or not existing security measures for elected leaders, including in Connecticut, are sufficient to address the level of threats faced by public officials in this contentious political climate.

On Saturday morning, State Rep. Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, were killed in cold blood. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were hospitalized after being shot multiple times by the same gunman – a man whose friends and former colleagues say expressed conservative religious views.

Late Sunday evening, law enforcement apprehended the suspect, 57-year old Vance Boelter.

The assassination and attempted assassination of the two Minnesota lawmakers were the latest in a string of political violence. As a New York Times headline noted, “Like School Shootings, Political Violence Is Becoming Almost Routine.”

Recent examples of political violence span the country. The targets occupy all parts of the political spectrum: President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband, two Israeli diplomats attending a reception in Washington, and several others.

For lawmakers in Connecticut, the attacks in Minnesota were a sobering and alarming reminder of a constant danger that seems to have grown more pronounced in recent years.

“These are unspeakable acts of politically-motivated domestic terrorism,” Matt Ritter, the speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, said in reaction to the Minnesota shootings.

Ritter knew both Hortman, the former speaker of the Minnesota House, and her husband.

“Absolutely stunning, disgusting and heartbreaking violence,” Steve Harding, the leader of the State Senate’s Republican caucus, said.

In February, Harding himself was the target of a bomb threat which mentioned his address and the address of his parents. Attorney General William Tong and all five of Connecticut’s representatives in the U.S. House also received bomb threats in early 2025 and late 2024.

In Washington and Connecticut, security officials face similar challenges when it comes to protecting elected leaders. Resources and manpower are limited, and the public nature of politics creates a constant conflict between the desire to be accessible and concerns about physical security.

Currently, permanent security details are provided only to high-ranking officials. In Congress, that means members of leadership and certain high-profile lawmakers are under the constant guard of the U.S. Capitol Police. At the state level, the Connecticut State Police provides security details to the governor and lieutenant governor. For the 187 members of the state legislature, the Connecticut State Capitol Police are charged with keeping them safe. No state lawmakers, including those in leadership positions, are assigned permanent security details.

The state’s seven federal lawmakers and four other statewide elected officials are in a similar position. None have permanent protective details assigned to them, though their positions afford them some ability to hire their own security. One member of the state’s congressional delegation, for example, consistently travels with an armed staffer who is a former law enforcement officer.

On some occasions, Connecticut’s legislative leaders, statewide elected officials, and members of the state’s federal delegation have requested temporary protection or hired private security for public events. Plainclothes State Capitol Police officers accompanied a Democratic legislative leader to a public town hall-style event earlier this year. On another occasion, troopers assigned to the governor’s State Police detail were on hand for a speaking engagement of a statewide elected official during the wave of pro-Palestine protests of events attended by high-profile Democrats.

But aside from specific, case-by-case instances, the vast majority of Connecticut’s elected officials are left to their own devices when it comes to their immediate physical security. In private conversations this weekend, some state lawmakers have questioned if it's time for more to be done. Those same questions are being pondered by officials around the country.

Over the weekend, Axios reported that congressional Republicans appealed to their leadership for more security. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly called for Minnesota’s two U.S. Senators to receive additional protection from the U.S. Capitol Police.

Chief Luis Casanova, the head of the State Capitol Police, sent an email to legislators and staff on Saturday reassuring them that, “At this time, we do not have any credible information indicating that threats are lingering or directed toward officials in Connecticut.”

The email continued, “We continue to assess and adapt our security posture both at the Capitol and in coordination with agencies statewide.”

Casanova’s department has statewide jurisdiction and collaborates with local departments and the State Police to monitor threats against lawmakers. That collaboration can take many forms, including intelligence sharing and operational support. When Harding’s home was the subject of a bomb threat, the Capitol Police sent an officer to Brookfield to assist in the response and subsequent investigation.

As far as specific discussions of additional measures could be taken to safeguard Connecticut’s elected officials, the conversations mirror those playing out elsewhere.

Efforts to shield the home addresses of elected officials have been floated in Connecticut and around the country, though similar proposals to conceal the addresses of other public employees have run into concerns about transparency and freedom of information. The home addresses of state lawmakers are currently available through public filings.

Some Connecticut legislators currently opt against the use of official legislative license plates – which clearly identify a vehicle as belonging to a specific state lawmaker – and others are considering doing the same in the wake of the Minnesota attacks.

Per Axios’s reporting, some members of Congress would like to see rank-and-file members receive U.S. Capitol Police details. Providing constant protection to hundreds of representatives and senators would require a dramatic expansion of the agency’s budget and manpower. In Connecticut, there have been occasional, informal conversations about expanding the provision of details beyond just the governor and lieutenant governor to include additional high-profile officials. In many states, attorneys general and other statewide officials are assigned details of state police or other specialized law enforcement units.

While all of these conversations are still preliminary, there are hints that lawmakers might move to act on the issue of lawmaker safety. In a statement reacting to the Minnesota shootings, State Senate President Martin Looney said, “We must meet this moment with renewed resolve to project public servants and reject political violence and the vile rhetoric that leads to these actions.”

Whether or not progress will be made on any of those fronts remains to be seen.

Three reads to start your week

Mark Pazniokas wrote a tale of two cities this week in the digital pages of the CT Mirror. In Hartford, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam took part in a display of gratitude for the funds his city received in the next two-year state budget. Arulampalam’s gratefulness, though measured by a call for more progress to be made on the issue of municipal aid, stood in contrast to the sharp criticism levelled by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. Read Mark’s breakdown here.

Dan Haar took his turn on the Connecticut pizza beat. The Hearst scribe penned a dispatch from America’s other well-known pizza town – the one due south of New Haven. The state’s economic development agency has embarked on another campaign to troll the Empire State. The latest glitzy stunt dreamed up by state marketing chief Anthony Anthony revolves around a series of billboards strategically located above pizza joints that rival the Elm City’s claim as the nation’s top pie destination. Read Danny’s reporting here.

The saga of Hamden’s municipal finances rolled on last week. Mayor Lauren Garrett said she’ll veto the budget passed by her town’s legislative council. Garrett has been weathering a political firestorm amidst dramatic property tax hikes. Hamden is not alone in experiencing the aftershocks of mandatory post-pandemic property revaluations. But the town is virtually peerless among Connecticut municipalities when it comes to its long-term liabilities and fiscal challenges. Read a breakdown of the veto fight here. Garrett is on the ballot this year and is facing a crowded field of Democratic primary challengers. A Republican mayoral campaign is expected to be launched this week.

Milestones and shoutouts

We’re trying something new in this week’s Tip Sheet…

We thought it’d be fun to start mentioning personal and professional milestones at the end of every edition of the Tip Sheet.

If you have something you’d like to see highlighted – perhaps a shoutout for yourself or a friend – drop us a line: Michael.Cerulli@protonmail.com.

Varie’s career steams on

First up, a comms vet of the Connecticut political world is moving on. Sam Varie has served as communications director for Rep. Joe Courtney since 2023. His last day with the office was on Friday. Varie says he’s heading for a new role with the Australian embassy in Washington – a post he’s well-suited for as the former chief flak for Congress’s biggest advocate of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) defense partnership. Ryan Tomsheck will be stepping into the top comms role in Courtney's office.

Congrats to you, Rioux!

Congratulations are in order for Corey Rioux, legal counsel in the office of Speaker Matt Ritter. Rioux married Brooke Tinnerello, an associate at the firm Morgan Lewis, on Sunday. The couple both attended law school at UConn.

We’ll be back next week with another edition of the Tip Sheet!