Minnesota lawmaker shooting; Wisconsin politicians on list, safety concerns arise

WISCONSIN - Minnesota investigators say the man now charged with shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses did not have a manifesto laying out a motive.

But, they say he had notebooks with plans and lists of names of Democrats.

What we know:

A few Wisconsin Democrats say they were on the list, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

Baldwin's office sent FOX6 a statement:

"Senator Baldwin was informed by law enforcement that she was included on the alleged shooter’s list of names. She is grateful for law enforcement’s swift action to keep the community safe and remains focused on the things that matter most here: honoring the legacy and life of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, praying for the other victims who are fighting for their lives, and condemning this abhorrent, senseless political violence."

Congressman Mark Pocan was on additional documents found.

He said:

"I recently heard that my name was in one of the Minnesota shooting suspect’s notebooks, and I’m appreciative that law enforcement apprehended the suspect. I will not back down in the face of terror. However, we as elected officials, must do better to lower the temperature. That said, my schedule remains unchanged."

Wisconsin state senators were advised not to publicize where they'd be.

When the Wisconsin Assembly gavels in on Wednesday, Speaker Robin Vos's office is asking for more security.

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But, what about away from the Capitol?

What they're saying:

"When you’ve got a state Legislature of 99 members of the Assembly, and 33 members of the Senate, you can’t give them the kind of police protection that theoretically they should have," said Mordecai Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus. "If we’re to protect every member of the state legislature, you’d have to have maybe 3 law enforcement officers for every one, because you’d have to protect them in three shifts.  And all of sudden, we’re talking about a 1,000 police officers?"

Lee was once a state lawmaker and remembers a call from the FBI that they had picked up chatter about him.

"I tried to take it in stride, but there were members of my family who thought this was really scary. And I should really up the security system in my house, I should be careful were I drove. And it can really change a person’s life," he said. "I can say that I successfully shrugged it off, but I think it’s understandable when somebody gets that kind of phone call from the FBI, that it’s sort of traumatic and it sort of pivots your life in a way that you start being careful and worried and suspicious and holding."

There's also discussion in Madison regarding whether lawmakers' home addresses should be shielded from public release.

In 2024, a state law protected judges' home addresses. That followed the 2022 killing of retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard is a former police officer and sponsored the judge's bill.

Now, he says:

"We don’t yet have all the facts related to the inexcusable events in Minnesota. Making knee-jerk reactions and drafting legislation in response to a situation when you don’t have all the facts never leads to good policy," Wanggaard said. "Judges are fundamentally different than legislators. A judge’s decision can have a tremendous impact on individuals before him or her and actual threats to our judiciary have increased recently. Legislative impacts are broader based, affecting everyone. I won’t go into specifics about Legislator security, but like everyone else, it starts with being aware of your surroundings and potential threats."

Dig deeper:

The Wisconsin Senate Sergeant at Arms said it is discussing extra security protocols, including beefing up access points.

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Gov. Tony Evers’ spokesperson said it's their policy not to comment on security logistics or threats.

Another question is whether the Wisconsin Capitol should install metal detectors.

Back in 2023, when police said a man brought a gun into the Capitol, looking to talk with the governor.

At the time, both Evers and Vos opposed installing them.

Back during the protests against Act 10 in 2011, local police would drive by elected officials' homes. Wisconsin State Capitol Police, the Department of Natural Resources, university police and Wisconsin State Patrol were guarding the Capitol during protests.

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