Minnesota State Wire

Jason Lewis, a former Representative for Minnesota, said that recent acts of political violence reflect a recurring pattern of left-wing extremism driven by a toxic strain of righteousness embraced by institutions. The statement was made on the social media platform X.

"It is confounding this has happened again, but not without historical warning--as we pointed out in 2017," said Lewis. "The left has often used violence due to a toxic strain of righteousness that permeates the movement and is embraced by its institutional supporters."

As reported by Reuters in September 2025, attention has turned to left-wing political violence following President Trump's order designating Antifa as a terrorist organization. This decision cited assaults and riots, while The Atlantic noted that since 2017, far-left incidents, though less frequent than right-wing attacks, have grown in visibility. This includes the recent killing of activist Charlie Kirk.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), data from 2013 to 2023 show that left-wing extremist violence, often linked to anarchist groups, accounts for a smaller share of domestic terrorism compared with far-right violence. However, it has risen since 2016, with incidents targeting government buildings, police, and political figures.

PBS NewsHour reported in 2022 using datasets from CSIS and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that right-wing extremist attacks have been more frequent and deadly than left-wing violence. Some analyses suggest a recent uptick on the left; The Economist also noted that despite increased attention, far-left incidents remain fewer than right-wing ones overall.

According to Congress.gov, Lewis is a Republican who represented Minnesota’s 2nd District from 2017 to 2019 after a career as a conservative talk radio host. He focused on taxation, health care, and deregulation and later ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2020 but remains active as a political commentator.