Johns Hopkins institute organizes bipartisan group to condemn assassination attempt on former President Trump

The Johns Hopkins SNF Agora Institute today organized the release of a statement condemning the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that has been signed by a broad, bipartisan group of election administrators, scholars, and organizational leaders who are also calling on politicians to curtail violent rhetoric before November's election.

Among the 24 signatories of the statement are the secretaries of state from Georgia, Michigan, and Kansas.

"Over the last two years, the SNF Agora Institute has been convening a diverse, bi-partisan group of election officials, administrators, scholars, organizational leaders, and other advocates focused on exploring broader challenges in our democracy, including right now, building trust in elections," said Scott Warren, a fellow at SNF Agora Institute. "These candid, always civil, off-the-record conversations have been critical to helping to foster a true pro-democracy coalition, which is so needed in this current moment.

"A number of bipartisan group members came together to issue this statement, highlighting the importance of diverse individuals representing divergent ideologies all united in pushing for the political norms that must undergird a strong democracy."

Find the letter and full list of signatories below.

Bi-Partisan Statement Condemning Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump

Over the last two years, a diverse set of actors across the political spectrum have gathered to have candid conversations about the state of American democracy, and work to build trust in elections. We are elected officials, election administrators, scholars, advocates, and organizational leaders.

Today, we categorically condemn the violence and attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally on Saturday, July 13th. We are glad that the former President is doing well, and are saddened by the death and injuries to other attendees of the political event.

American elections are free and fair, accessible and secure. Over the next few months, all of us will work to support a constructive election environment. For that to happen, we urge leaders across the political spectrum to work to turn down the temperature, and to encourage civil discourse when debating our differences.

Although we profess different political ideologies, we come together in a bi-partisan voice to say that we can never tolerate political violence as a country.

Signed,

• Brad Raffensperger, Secretary of State, Georgia

• Jocelyn Benson, Secretary of State, Michigan

• Scott Schwab, Secretary of State, Kansas

• Amelia Powers Gardner, Utah County Commissioner

• Amaad Rivera-Wagner, Chief of Staff, City of Green Bay

• Trey Grayson of Frost Brown Todd, former Secretary of State, Kentucky

• Kim Wyman, Senior Fellow, Elections Project, Bipartisan Policy Center, former Sec of State, Washington

• Ian Bassin, Executive Director, Protect Democracy

• Lilliana Mason, Associate Professor of Political Science, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University

• David Becker, Executive Director and Founder, Center for Election Innovation & Research

• Chris Saxman, President CEO Virginia FREE

• Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Interim President, Freedom House

• Mindy Romero, Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy, USC Price School of Public Policy ​​ ​​

• Scott Warren, Fellow, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University

• Pam Fessler, Advisor, The Elections Group

• Avi Green, Green Mountain Strategies

• Scot Turner, Executive Director, Eternal Vigilance Action Inc.

• Lee Drutman, Senior Fellow, New America

• Michael Sozan, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

• Thad Kousser, Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego

• Larry Diamond Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

• Lauren Prather, Associate Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego

• Christina Schneider, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego

• Jennifer Morrell, Chief Executive Officer, The Elections Group

• Barbara Walter, Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego

• Yordanos Eyoel, Founder and CEO, Keseb

To schedule an interview Scott Warren, contact Hannah Robbins at 667-232-9047 or hlrobbins@jhu.edu.