Without evidence, NC candidate says opponent’s actions led to shooting at parents’ home
Without providing any evidence, Pat Harrigan on Friday told Fox News viewers his Democratic opponent’s language and actions led to a shooting at his parents’ home.
Harrigan, the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, appeared on the Fox & Friends morning show and posted a video clip online of the appearance with a message that said Democratic nominee, state Sen. Jeff Jackson, should “condemn the violence & apologize for his lies, but he won’t.” Before Harrigan posted that, Jackson condemned the violence.
“It was absolutely an act of violence and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Jackson wrote on Twitter Friday morning, before Harrigan’s post. “At this point, we don’t know who did this or why. Thankfully no one was hurt, but whoever did this should be held accountable.”
Neither law enforcement nor Harrigan’s campaign have provided evidence the shooting was politically motivated. Still, Harrigan has utilized the shooting to cast blame four days before Election Day.
In addition to his morning show appearance, Harrigan said he will appear The Sean Hannity Show at 9 p.m.
Bullet hits Harrigan’s parents’ home
A bullet went through a window at Harrigan’s parents’ home while his children were there, according to the campaign. The Associated Press reported his children were sleeping upstairs at the time of the shooting, on Oct. 18.
The police report indicates the shooting was reported the morning of Oct. 19.
No one was injured. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, Hickory Police Department spokeswoman Kristen Hart said Thursday.
The home belongs to Harrigan’s parents, not Harrigan. It’s several miles from a home owned by Harrigan pictured in a Jackson campaign TV ad.
The Harrigan campaign did not respond to a request for an interview from The Charlotte Observer Friday.
Without providing evidence, Harrigan blames Jackson
On Fox & Friends, Harrigan said “this all started” when Jackson said the Republican profited off the deaths of children earlier in the campaign. The claim dates back to the Jackson campaign publicizing quotes from a radio show during which Harrigan said his business benefited from the increase in gun sales following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
Harrigan described a “cascade of consequences” from that initial claim and a “very credible death threat.”
Harrigan then pointed to the TV ad where the Jackson campaign showed one of his homes, in Hickory. That ad began airing Oct. 18. On Thursday, Jackson’s campaign confirmed they pulled the ad “in an abundance of caution and concern.”
“This is politics at its worst, and the reason it’s this way is because my opponent is desperate to do anything he possibly can to talk about anything other than what actually matters in this campaign,” Harrigan said on Fox & Friends. “It doesn’t matter what (Jackson) has to manufacture, he is willing to trade my security and my family’s security to score political points, and it’s reprehensible.”
The news comes after an Oct. 28 assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their San Francisco home.
“My opponent has since made a statement in which he calls this ‘political violence,’” Jackson wrote on Twitter Friday. “While there’s no evidence for that, I share his concern that political rhetoric is often far too hot.”
Will this impact the Jackson-Harrigan race?
Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper said the shooting and the way Harrigan framed it is unlikely to change the result of the election. Jackson is considered the strong favorite in the 14th, which includes uptown Charlotte, southern and western Mecklenburg County and much of Gaston County.
Using the shooting to make news ahead of Election Day is reflective of campaign tactics from both parties, he said.
“There’s a moment to make some news and they’re going to spin it in their direction,” Cooper said. “Democrats do this, Republicans do this. We may not like it but we’ve seen it time and time again.”
On whether the shooting could be politically motivated, “We just don’t know,” Cooper said.
Election day is Tuesday. Early voting ends Saturday at 3 p.m. People can register and vote on the same day if they vote early in-person. People cannot register and vote on the same day Election Day.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
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