This data brief from Princeton’s Bridging Divides Initiative tracks 2024 trends in political violence and hostility toward local officials, drawing on ACLED, BDI’s own Threats and Harassment Dataset (600+ documented incidents), the Mapping Police Violence database, and Washington Post fatal-shooting data. It reports that threats and harassment against local officials rose roughly 10% year-over-year, with women and officials of color disproportionately targeted, alongside a rise in vigilante violence against marginalized communities and a record year for police use of force. The brief argues this climate is producing a chilling effect that discourages civic participation and candidacy for public office.