This story shares descriptions of violent threats some elected officials say have been made to them.
Las Cruces City Councilor Johana Bencomo says she is used to the critical comments that come with the job but one incident in March crossed the line.
“In March I was left a voicemail on my city hall phone that left a very explicit death threat,” Bencomo said. “That has obviously been the worst and it definitely left me shaken up.”
Police say the threat came from an individual in El Paso and prompted the FBI to get involved. According to Bencomo, that person is going through the criminal justice system. She has received more messages saying that she deserves to be in prison and another saying that they will battle her for the good of the city.
“I care deeply about representation. Sometimes I do feel out of integrity with my values in asking someone to run for office knowing what I know now especially after this year,” Bencomo said. “Sometimes I am really wondering what I am inviting people to do.”
This fear is not unique to Las Cruces. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, more than 40% of local officials say they are less likely to run after receiving abusive language or threats. With 70% of elections going uncontested nationwide in 2024, people had less choices for who to vote for. While there are many reasons why people are driven to violence, one common explanation is the increase in intense rhetoric.
Dr. Jeff Hunter said that, “research suggests that people are way more likely to commit acts of political violence when they have constructed a narrative that supports it.”
NMSU professor Dr. Jeff Hunter has done research on how villainization of other politicians can lead to more political violence.
“So, take January 6th for an example. Lots of Trump supporters had constructed a narrative that somebody or something had stolen the election so they had a villain and that led them to political violence,” Dr. Hunter said. Unfortunately, a lot of those emotions and things like that are easy for politicians to exploit.”
Johana Bencomo is far from being the only one experiencing threats like these. Stories of district attorneys receiving racially motivated threats to county commissioners' houses being shot at can be seen throughout New Mexico. State Representative from Alamogordo John Block is no exception.
“I have gotten them from a guy I got banned from the Capitol because of some of the threats that he has given to me. Death threats have come in as well we have seen some sexual violence threats as well,” Block said. “Some people have threatened to rape and do all of these other horrible things.”
Block has received messages telling him that he should die, others making homophobic jabs and slews of antisemitic messages.
Block said that, “It ebbs and flows. I would just say that it could be related to the election and it could be related to policy but at the end of the day some people have harassed me because they read my Wikipedia page and they didn't like something they read so it can be sporadic as well.”
January 6th is often seen as an example of when political messages have gone too far. Block attended the rally but says he never trespassed or broke any laws and he rallied peacefully and patriotically.
“What happened on January 6th was absolutely political violence if you look at the people who led people into the building. That is totally not ok. If you look at people who were being violent and beating each other, that is not ok,” Block said.
Block also points to other examples of political violence such as the protests and riots after the killing of George Floyd.
Block said, “We saw all of the Black Lives Matter and Antifa protests in cities like Minneapolis burning down businesses and that's political violence. So, when we talk about political violence it is important and critical to focus on all aspects of everyone from left to right to center.”
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group about 5 percent of the protests associated with Black Lives Matter protests were violent. Dr. Hunter says that violent actions can lead to more violence creating a tough cycle to break.
“Any time there is a weak enforcement of political violence, that tends to bring up more political violence later,” Dr. Hunter said. “So, we are at risk of seeing violence that has happened lately and not being punished causing more violence because once people see that they can get away with it they continue to do it.”
Many government officials say that criticism is part of the job, however having to worry about your safety is crossing the line. Illegal threats or intimidation face a maximum punishment of six months in jail and a $500 fine in New Mexico.
Bencomo said, “People say ‘Well you have to deal with it, you signed up for it, it comes with the job deal with it.’ I think there is a huge difference between being critical of elected officials for the decisions they make and that is something I am prepared to deal with. There is a huge difference between that and sending violent, threatening and abusive emails. We did not sign up for that.”
Threats like these can quickly turn into action. Assassination attempts, drive-by shootings, and stalking have happened across the state and country. With these actions on the rise, many are worried that this will continue to grow.
An update and correction was issued to this story on 11/27/24. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group only about 5 percent of demonstrations associated with Black Lives Matter protests were violent, not 3 percent which was previously reported.
