KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump begs the question of whether or not public campaign events can continue.
Sean Smith, a Jackson County legislator running for Congress, said he's never felt like he's in danger, and he's not concerned after the rally shooting on Saturday.
"It’s not just about political violence that happened this past week, but it’s just violence in general, and the fact that we have so many people that are so despondent and don’t feel like they have hope and are willing to do something like this," Smith said.
Smith believes there's no way to completely avert danger because it can happen anywhere.
"Living in fear is just not something that’s healthy for people," he said.
The Jackson County Republican Party had a public ice cream social at an Elk Lodge just one day after the shooting.
Kansas Congressional candidate Karen Crnkovich said she attended at least three public events that same day.
"We were out in the open in a park, we were at somebody’s home," Crnkovich said. "I’m going to do what I need to do to connect with the voters of Kansas District 3."
Crnkovich said retail politics are just too valuable to her campaign to give up.
"Am I afraid? No. Do I practice caution? Have I always practiced caution because I am a woman candidate? Yes," Crnkovich said. "Time and time again, whether I'm at somebody’s door or whether I’m at a parade or a public event, people tell me they appreciate that I show up early and I stay late and talk to the very last person."
Like Smith, Crnkovich believes the rally incident speaks to a broader issue of violence in the country.
"We need to come back to a place where leaders have a right to agree to disagree without hating each other," Crnkovich said.
Smith compared his hopes to one of his favorite extracurricular activities.
"I play soccer on the weekend, and we can bump and bruise each other, but we can still help each other up," he said. "And to me ... we should have that in our political discourse, too."
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