Two Democrat congressional candidates shocked Americans this week when they couldn’t perform the most basic civic duty expected of any political leader: condemning political violence. The stunning refusal by Taylor Wettach in Iowa and Stefany Shaheen in New Hampshire to reject violence as a political tool reveals just how far the Democrat Party has drifted from mainstream American values.
At a so-called “No Kings Rally”—ironically named given Democrats’ own authoritarian tendencies—both candidates were given multiple opportunities to make the simplest possible statement defending our constitutional order. Instead, they offered calculated silence that speaks volumes about who really controls the Democrat agenda in 2025.
This isn’t mere political theater. It’s a fundamental litmus test of whether candidates can uphold the peaceful transitions of power that have defined American democracy for nearly 250 years. Their failure to clear this impossibly low bar suggests their voter base now includes elements openly hostile to constitutional governance.
The implications extend far beyond these two races. In Iowa’s 1st District, incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks won by just 799 votes in 2024, proving that every moderate voter matters. When suburban Americans see Democrat candidates pandering to extremists rather than defending basic civic norms, those razor-thin margins become Republican opportunities.
Wettach’s silence is particularly telling given Iowa’s proud tradition of civil political discourse. Iowans expect their representatives to defend the constitutional principles that make their famous caucuses possible. By refusing to condemn political violence, Wettach signals she’s more interested in appeasing radical activists than representing hardworking Iowa families who believe in solving differences through ballots, not bullets.
Meanwhile, Stefany Shaheen’s candidacy represents everything wrong with political dynasty culture. She’s attempting to inherit her mother’s Senate connections while abandoning the democratic principles that built those very institutions. New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” motto apparently doesn’t extend to freedom from political intimidation in Shaheen’s vision of America.
What’s most revealing is how the “No Kings Rally” itself exposed the true nature of today’s Democrat coalition. What party leaders marketed as an anti-authoritarian protest actually attracted leftists celebrating assassination fantasies and political violence. Once again, Democrat “democracy” rhetoric masks deeply authoritarian impulses that would make King George III blush.
The National Republican Congressional Committee’s swift response demonstrates effective messaging strategy. Rather than treating this as mere policy disagreement, Republicans correctly framed the candidates’ silence as fundamentally disqualifying behavior. This forces Democrats into an impossible position: defend the indefensible or alienate their increasingly radical base.
This pattern reveals the Democrat Party’s systematic capture by elements who view political violence as potentially legitimate—a dangerous departure from America’s constitutional tradition of peaceful political competition. The candidates’ calculated non-responses suggest internal polling shows their primary voters include significant numbers who won’t tolerate condemnation of leftist violence, even as they demand Republicans denounce every perceived slight.
This fundamental asymmetry advantages America First candidates who can confidently defend constitutional order without walking on eggshells around extremist supporters. While Democrats triangulate between their moderate rhetoric and radical base, patriots can speak directly to Americans who still believe in basic civic norms.
The economic implications matter too. Political violence destroys the stable business environment that creates jobs and prosperity. When Democrat candidates won’t condemn such tactics, they’re signaling that political intimidation might become acceptable if it serves their agenda. That’s not the America our founders envisioned or that hardworking families deserve.
Patriots should monitor whether this becomes a systematic Democrat vulnerability as more candidates face this simple test in competitive districts nationwide. These unforced errors demonstrate how the radical left’s growing influence creates golden opportunities for America First candidates to win back suburban voters who understand that constitutional governance isn’t negotiable.
America’s strength has always come from our ability to settle political differences peacefully. When Democrat candidates can’t even pretend to support that principle, they’ve disqualified themselves from leading the greatest constitutional republic in human history.
