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U.S. Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner says a person who appeared to be armed came to her family’s home over the weekend looking for a member of her campaign staff.
Shoffner, the Democratic nominee challenging Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, said her husband turned the person away. The individual left without further incident, and her family was not harmed.
She released a statement Monday describing the encounter and thanking Little Rock police for their response. The department is investigating, she said.
Shoffner did not name the person or say what kind of weapon was involved. The Little Rock Police Department has not publicly detailed the incident.
“There is a line that should never be crossed,” Shoffner said in the statement.
She said voters, reporters and opponents have many ways to raise concerns or disagree, including campaign events, town halls, phone calls and emails. Showing up unannounced at a candidate’s home is not one of them, she said.
“Public officials, candidates, and their families should all be able to feel safe where they live,” Shoffner said.
Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer from Newport, said the encounter was personal as a wife and mother. She noted that her husband and young son did not choose to run for office.
“Political violence and intimidation have no place in our democracy,” she said.
Shoffner said the incident would not stop her campaign, and she called on people of all parties to reject intimidation. She said she remains committed to traveling the state and meeting with Arkansans.
Shoffner won the Democratic primary in March. She faces Cotton in the general election Nov. 3.
