‘Distressingly’ High Level of Support for Assassinating Politicians Among Young Democratic Men

More than half of Republicans believe the U.S. is drifting toward another civil war, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which said it detected evidence of radicalization among both Democrats and the GOP.

The survey, taken in late April and covering 1,500 adults, also found a distressingly high level of support for assassinating politicians whom the respondents believed were “harming the country or our democracy.”

Young Democratic men were the most agreeable to the idea, with 44% saying they could countenance such an assassination. Younger Republican women ranked second, with 40% approving of the idea. Older folks — defined as those 50 and older — were not fans of assassination, no matter their party or gender.

That could explain why 44% of all respondents said the U.S. “seems headed toward a civil war in the near future.” That included 53% of Republicans and 39% of Democrats.

“The mood, overall, is pessimistic,” the SPLC concluded, warning that it saw particularly worrying signs that Republicans, if they make political gains, could erode rights of the “marginalized in our society.”

“No political outcomes are inevitable. But our results show that a substantial effort, on the part of activists, institutions, and government, will be required if we hope to secure a multiracial democracy and prevent partisan violence,” the SPLC wrote in its analysis of its findings.

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