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MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Even before the killing of Charlie Kirk, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania struggled with the emotional toll of political violence.

Just five months ago, someone broke into his home and set it on fire as Shapiro, his wife and children were asleep.

Since then, Shapiro, a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender, was forced to confront the vexing questions now consuming elected officials in both parties as they face the impact of Kirk's assassination on their own public lives.

"The emotional challenge for me that's been the hardest to work through is that, as a father, the career I chose, that I find great purpose and meaning in, ended up putting my children's lives at risk," said Shapiro, a father of four. "Make no mistake, the emotional burden of being a father through this has been something that continues to be a challenge for me to this day."

Across the U.S., it is much the same for Republican and Democratic officials after the recent political violence. Politicians in both parties and at virtually every level of public service are forced to deal with acute security concerns — and feelings of grief, anger and fear — as they move into a fraught election season.

Even as Shapiro offered prayers for Kirk's widow and children, the Democratic governor said he is undeterred in his duties as a leading figure in his national party and his state. "I'm not slowing down," he said.

Republican President Donald Trump was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he would cancel any public appearances of his own. "You have to go forward," he said.

Violent rhetoric surges

Bellicose rhetoric and even death threats surged in the days since Kirk was killed. The charged environment prompted some public officials to postpone public appearances.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., canceled a Saturday town hall in Las Vegas "out of an abundance of caution for town hall participants, attendees, and members of the media."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., postponed a weekend event in North Carolina due to security concerns.

Former Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, president of Young America's Foundation, which works to attract young people to the GOP, said his group canceled a Thursday night event in California featuring conservative commentator Ben Shapiro out of respect for Kirk and his family.

While officials in both parties acknowledged new security precautions would be in place, cancelations were rare.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who recently announced his 2026 reelection campaign, said he would not change his public schedule because of the increased threat even as political violence will be on his mind.

When asked if he expects a retaliatory attack against Democrats, the former Army captain insisted, "We are not at war with one another."

"As someone who has seen war, as someone who knows what war looks like, as someone who will live with the realities of war for the rest of my life, I refuse to ever believe that we in the country are at war with one another," Moore said. "And I refuse to believe that that we as a country are devolving into some just kind of type of retaliatory tit for tat."

"Resorting to violence is a remarkable sign of weakness," he added. "It means you can't win a political argument."

Yet political violence is becoming more frequent in the United States.

Former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot as she met with constituents in 2011. Republican Rep. Steve Scalise was shot at a congressional team baseball practice in 2017.

Trump was grazed by a bullet last summer on the stump in Pennsylvania. Barely three months ago, the top Democrat in the Minnesota state house and her husband were gunned down at home.

What the campaign trail looks like

Several uniformed police officers stood along the entrance of a public park where the Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, met voters Friday to discuss measures designed to bring transparency to the state budget process. The significant security presence was a sharp shift from Sherrill's recent events.

In Illinois, Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Aaron Del Mar, said he and other GOP candidates are discussing new security precautions, such as bringing events indoors, enhanced use of metal detectors and background checks on those who attend their events. "There's a lot of concern right now," he said.

Back in New Jersey, Democrat Maira Barbosa, 35, attended Sherrill's event with her 16-month-old son. She said she's never been more resolved to show up to a political event in person, even though she had second thoughts.

"We're seeing so much hate speech and we're seeing people advocate for violence, so of course it makes me concerned, especially to the point of bringing my son," she said. "If we don't participate, if we don't get involved, who is going to represent us?"

Top Democratic governors speak out

In interviews, Shapiro and Moore largely avoided casting blame for this era of political violence, though they criticized Trump's immediate response to Kirk's shooting.

The Republican president highlighted only attacks against Republicans during his Oval Office address Thursday and blamed "the radical left" for Kirk's shooting, even before the suspect was arrested.

"To be clear, the political violence has impacted Democrats and Republicans, and the rhetoric of vengeance and the language that has created division has come from both sides of the political divide," Shapiro said. "No one party has clean hands, and no one party is immune from the threat of political violence."

Moore called for everyone to tone down the rhetoric.

"I just think it's important for the president and anyone else to understand that your words matter, and leadership is how you lift us up in darkness, not how you use it as a moment for opportunism and to introduce more darkness and finger pointing into into an already horrific situation," he said.

"I'm praying for our country," Moore continued. "I'm praying that the legacy of this moment is we got better — not that we got worse."

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