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Women in office faced some of the worst harassment and threats in 2020

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In 2020, public officials faced escalating and relentless threats of violence fueled by disinformation and misinformation. Women got some of the worst of it.

In 2020, public officials faced escalating and relentless threats of violence fueled by disinformation and misinformation. Women got some of the worst of it.

  1. 31 Dec 2020

    🧵 A barrage of threatening phone calls. Myriad social media posts laced with profanities. Threats of harm. In 2020, public officials faced escalating threats of violence fueled by disinformation. Women faced some of the worst of it, reports.

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  2. 31 Dec 2020

    2/ Michigan is a microcosm of the escalating threats of violence around the country against elected officials and public servants. On December 5, protesters, some armed, gathered outside Secretary of State ’s home shouting “stop the steal.”

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  3. 31 Dec 2020

    3/ While she and her 4-year-old son retreated to her basement, Benson called the state’s attorney general, . Nessel said she could hear the protesters’ screaming through the phone and quickly called the local police chief on Benson’s behalf.

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  4. 31 Dec 2020

    4/ Benson was the subject of online harassment in the lead-up to the election, particularly on Twitter. It intensified after Trump wrongly accused her of sending ballots to homes. Criticism continued after Joe Biden won Michigan in the general election.

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  5. 31 Dec 2020

    5/ The incident at Benson’s house came just a few months after authorities announced charges against more than a dozen people accused of planned attacks against Michigan and other law enforcement officials, including a scheme to kidnap Whitmer.

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  6. 31 Dec 2020

    6/ In the spring, a man was arrested for making credible threats to kill Whitmer and Nessel. Around the same period, heavily armed protesters gathered at the state capitol to oppose Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders. At one of those protests, someone held a sign reading: ⬇️

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  7. 31 Dec 2020

    7/ The threats of violence precede 2020. has been AG since 2018. Within months of being sworn into office, she began receiving threats. She wonders if her gender, her Judaism or being the first out LGBTQ+ person to win statewide office in Michigan has played a part.

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  8. 31 Dec 2020

    8/ Nessel, a Democrat, assumed threats were to be expected given her position, until she was briefed at the time by a security official that she had already received more threats than her predecessor, a Republican man, who had been there for eight years.

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  9. 31 Dec 2020

    9/ While many officeholders across the country have faced vitriol, attacks against women are harsher and more relentless, and worse for women of color, said .

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  10. 31 Dec 2020

    10/ Nessel said whenever U.S. Rep. , a congresswoman from the state who was the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan legislature, tags her in a post on Twitter, the attorney general sees an uptick in hateful messages.

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  11. 31 Dec 2020

    11/ Massachusetts Rep. recently spoke with The 19th about the threats that have come with her pioneering first term in Congress and the toll it has taken on her, her staff and her family.

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  12. 30 Dec 2020

    “Social media creates a really powerful, unaccountable echo chamber [around] my politics, my race, my appearance, just how I show up in the world. What do you do when your very existence is resistance?”

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  13. 30 Dec 2020

    “People will say, ‘Well, this is sort of what you signed up for.’ No, we signed up for debate, dissenting opinion, to defend our values — but not for abuse and not for threats.” - via

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  14. 30 Dec 2020

    This is what BIPOC women in office face a lot & I felt nearly every single word of this piece to the marrow. (Grateful for an amazing team that sees some of the worst of what we receive & handles it so I can keep on truckin’ as well as the authorities for ensuring our safety.)

    In a consequential election year that has further polarized the country’s politics around race and gender, Rep. has faced increased vitriol. “What do you do when your very existence is resistance?”
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  15. 30 Dec 2020

    The violence that & her staff receive cannot be normalized. Being a Black woman who calls for justice & equality within a biased system cannot be a death sentence. Such powerful reporting

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  16. 31 Dec 2020

    12/12 Threats have not deterred Nessel, Benson and Whitmer from doing their jobs. “You can threaten us. You can say terrible things about us on social media. You can have protests at our homes. It’s not going to stop us from doing our jobs,” Nessel said.

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  17. 30 Dec 2020

    . might find some familiarity in this story. Women leaders, especially many here in , have shown great courage over this trying year. Thank you We celebrate you.

    In 2020, public officials faced escalating threats of violence fueled by disinformation and misinformation. Women faced some of the worst of it. My last piece of the year:
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  18. 30 Dec 2020

    It’s hard to get good people to run for public office. This will make it worse.

    New: A barrage of threatening phone calls. Social media posts laced with profanities. Threats of harm. In 2020, public officials faced escalating threats of violence fueled by disinformation. Women faced some of the worst of it, reports.
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  19. 30 Dec 2020

    The harassment that and women across this country — especially women of color — face every day is unacceptable. AGs are fighting back, but social media companies must do more to stop it.

    New: A barrage of threatening phone calls. Social media posts laced with profanities. Threats of harm. In 2020, public officials faced escalating threats of violence fueled by disinformation. Women faced some of the worst of it, reports.
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  20. 30 Dec 2020

    I asked Michigan AG about experiencing threats alongside top officials like and . Nessel responded: "You can say terrible things about us on social media. You can have protests at our homes. It’s not going to stop us from doing our jobs.”

    New: A barrage of threatening phone calls. Social media posts laced with profanities. Threats of harm. In 2020, public officials faced escalating threats of violence fueled by disinformation. Women faced some of the worst of it, reports.
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