A Sunday evening at home with her children took a dark turn for Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten when she says state police delivered the horrifying news that she was on a suspected killer’s alleged target list.
“It was truly chilling,” Scholten told ABC News on Tuesday, describing the moment she says authorities told her she was among 45 people targeted by the suspect accused of killing Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home on Saturday.
The 57-year-old suspected gunman, Vance Boelter, allegedly maintained detailed surveillance notes on his intended victims, including Democratic politicians, abortion-rights advocates and healthcare officials, according to law enforcement sources.
Rep. Hillary Scholten speaks at a press conference following a House Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol Building, Jan. 25, 2023.
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Boelter is also accused of wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Before the fatal shooting at Hortman’s home, authorities say he had already attempted to reach two other lawmakers who weren’t at their residences.
For Scholten, a mother of two boys, her first instinct was to be protective.
“As a mom, my first instinct, of course, was to protect my two boys who were at home with me,” she said.
Scholten told ABC News that local law enforcement responded immediately and stationed troopers outside her home around the clock while the suspect remained at large in a nearby state. She also wants answers to why she was on Boelter’s alleged list.
“You know, I think that’s one of the things we’re still trying to figure out, and that we are really pushing the FBI and the Capitol Police to get us answers to,” Scholten said.
“We will not be intimidated or silenced by an individual like this,” Scholten said. “As the first woman in history to do this job, I feel that it is so important to, yes, always be smart and safe, but to continue to push back against this type of violence.”
While most lawmakers have condemned the shooting. Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee posted images about the suspect with the caption, “Nightmare on Waltz Street” — an apparent reference to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Sen. Mike Lee participates in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, May 13, 2025.
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“Shame, shame on you. Senator, you know better than that,” Scholten told ABC News. “We are talking about a fellow public servant who was killed because of the job that she chose to do; he should immediately take down these horrific and offensive posts and apologize for them. I also hope that my Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate will condemn these actions.”
Lee ignored questions from reporters about the posts at the Capitol Monday night, and deleted the posts on Tuesday.
Scholten told ABC News she has faced threats before and emphasized the need for bipartisan condemnation of political violence.
“We need to come together, regardless of party, when this type of violence raises its head and condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” she said, noting that Democratic lawmakers united in condemning violence when Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise was shot in 2017.
Despite postponing a town hall meeting due to safety concerns, Scholten said she is determined to continue her work.
“I’m making it very clear we’re not going to stop this work,” she said, characterizing such threats as “true domestic terrorism” aimed at silencing lawmakers from serving their constituents.
