Police report: Man with knife approached home of Arkansas’ Democratic US Senate candidate

A man with a “large hunting knife” approached the Little Rock home of Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Hallie Shoffner on July 3, according to a police report filed Monday.

The individual left the premises at the urging of Shoffner’s husband, Michael Sullivan, according to both the Little Rock Police incident report and a Wednesday statement from Shoffner’s campaign. The man, who had the knife in his waist band, said he was looking for someone who works for Shoffner’s campaign, but the campaign employee did not recognize the man when later shown a photo of him, the incident report states.

“Campaign events, town halls, community meetings, phone calls, and emails are the appropriate places to share concerns or disagreements, not showing up unannounced at someone’s home,” Shoffner said in the statement. “Public officials, candidates, and their families should all be able to feel safe where they live. As a wife and mother, this is deeply disturbing and personal. My husband and our son did not choose to run for office.”

The past few years have seen several instances of threats or outright violence toward candidates and elected officials, including two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump during his 2024 campaign and another during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this year.

Arkansas legislators reflect on polarization, safety after murder of Minnesota lawmaker

In April 2025, Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence was firebombed by someone who disagreed with some of his policy stances. In June of the same year, a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and her husband were shot and killed in what was believed to be an act of political violence.

Shoffner said she will continue to travel the state in her effort to unseat two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton in November.

Shoffner is a sixth-generation Arkansan whose family left the agriculture industry last year due to tariffs and other financial strain on farmers. 

Cotton chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and is closely aligned with Trump, especially his hardline approach to immigration.