In the wake of growing threats against members of Congress, a bill before the Maine Legislature would change the law to keep the home addresses of congressional candidates off mandatory campaign paperwork.
The measure, sponsored by two legislators from Lewiston, would remove the residential address of candidates from petitions for elections to the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. They would instead list the candidates’ hometown.
The proposal would also require the redaction of the home address of candidates when election-related documents are released to the public.
The bill follows incidents that occurred outside residences of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in Washington, D.C., and Bangor and a growing concern that high-profile politicians face risk in a political environment that has grown increasingly heated.
Highlighting the danger was an October attack inside U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s California home in which an intruder looking for her wound up clobbering her elderly husband with a hammer.
Twice since 2011, members of Congress have been shot and badly hurt, though neither of the incidents occurred at their homes.
Last fall, someone fired a bullet at the home of a congressional hopeful in North Carolina. It did not hit anyone.
Reuters said that U.S. Capitol Police data showed that cases involving “concerning statements and threats” against members of Congress rose from 3,939 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021.
The sponsors of the bill, state Sen. Peggy Rotundo and state Rep. Kristen Cloutier, both Lewiston Democrats, could not be reached. Lewiston is the hometown of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a third-term Democrat.
Referred to the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee Thursday, no public hearing for the bill has been scheduled.
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