Trending Now - Rising Political Violence Drives up Candidate Security Costs

WHO:

AP News - Justin Sherman, author of the report from the Public Service Alliance, a nonpartisan group focusing on security for public officials.

AP News - Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, her husband Paul Pelosi, Republican then-candidate Donald Trump, and Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman.

WHAT:

AP News - Security spending for congressional and presidential campaigns has increased fivefold over the past decade.

AP News - Federal political committees spent more than $40 million on security expenses during the 2023-24 campaign cycle.

AP News - Spending on digital security rose from $50,000 in the 2015-16 election cycle to $900,000 in the 2023-24 cycle.

AP News - Campaigns spent nearly $1 million on home security over the past decade, a significant increase from zero in the 2015-16 election cycle.

WHERE:

AP News - Alexandria, Virginia (site of the 2017 shooting at a Republican congressional baseball team practice).

California (location of the 2022 hammer assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband).

Pennsylvania (location of the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump).

Minnesota (location of the assassinations of Melissa Hortman and her husband).

Utah (location of the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk).

WHEN:

AP News - The report was released on Thursday, April 7th, 2026.

AP News - The 2017 shooting occurred during a practice session.

AP News - The hammer assault on Paul Pelosi occurred in 2022.

AP News - The assassination attempt on Trump occurred in 2024.

AP News - The assassinations of Melissa Hortman and her husband occurred in 2025.

WHY:

AP News - The increase in security spending is attributed to an increasingly hostile political environment and escalating threats against public officials, including doxing and assassination plots.

HOW:

AP News - The report calculated security costs based on publicly available filings with the Federal Election Commission, focusing on expenses explicitly marked for security.

AP News - Campaigns are now factoring home security costs into their decision-making due to increased threats to public officials at their homes.

(UPDATED April 9, 2026 17:25 UTC)

A recent report from the Public Service Alliance highlights a dramatic increase in security spending for congressional and presidential campaigns, which has surged fivefold over the past decade, with federal political committees spending over $40 million on security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle alone. The report, released on Tuesday, reveals that campaigns are now investing heavily in home security and digital protection, with spending on digital security rising from $50,000 in the 2015-16 election cycle to $900,000 in the current cycle, reflecting the escalating threats against public officials. This rise in security costs is largely attributed to a more hostile political environment, marked by incidents such as the 2017 shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice and the 2022 hammer assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband.