During a speech at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, an attendee repeatedly shouted "He should be shot" as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, named several prominent Democrats. The senator did not acknowledge the shouts during his remarks and it remains unclear if he heard them. He later shared a video clip of the speech on X but made no mention of the audible interruptions.
The incident occurred on the first anniversary of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and amidst heightened concerns over political violence in the United States.
Among the Democrats named by Cruz were New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. The disruptive shouts followed each name.
El-Sayed addressed the incident in an interview with CNN, stating, "This is what has become norm in our politics. I mean, literally calls to violence and the inability for anybody to actually call it out." He added, "Democracy is supposed to be the process by which we solve our problems peacefully... when you hear that kind of call to violence it should be shuddering to all of us."
"We have a responsibility to lower the temperature, to realize that this is not a blood sport where you're just trying to bash the other guy," El-Sayed continued. "This is about actually solving problems that real people face. I hope that everybody who heard that is going to call it out for what it is, a call to violence that ought to be condemned across the board."
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., called the shouts "chilling and disturbing" on X, stating, "Threats of political violence are dangerous, unacceptable, and have no place in our democracy." She added, "This is clear hate, and we must stand up to it wherever and whenever we see it."
Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., also condemned the rhetoric, asserting, "There is no place for political violence in America" and calling on "every single Republican" to denounce it, "starting with Ted Cruz."