It’s often joked that politics is a bloodsport. It’s not much of a joke, truth be told, mostly because while the blood is metaphorical, it’s still pretty brutal. People actively try to hurt their opponents’ chances and, if necessary, their personal lives. You don’t go into politics unless you have a fairly thick skin.

But one thing politics shouldn’t be is dangerous.

Unfortunately, one Republican congressman’s race became just that.

A man was arrested on suspicion of felony assault and other charges after allegedly attempting to stab a Republican congressional candidate with a switchblade over the weekend in Castro Valley, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

On Sunday, September 9, at approximately 3:45 p.m., deputies working at the Castro Valley Fall Festival were alerted to a possible knife attack at one of the vendor booths.

Deputies arrived at the booth and made contact with the victim, Republican candidate Rudy Peters, who is running against incumbent Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) for the 15th congressional district seat

The Castro Valley News first reported on the attack.

According to witnesses, 35-year-old Castro Valley resident Farzad Fazeli approached Peters at his booth in an aggressive manner and made disparaging, profanity-laced remarks about the Republican party and President Donald Trump.

During the incident, Fazeli allegedly pulled out a switchblade knife and attempted to stab Peters. The knife malfunctioned and the candidate became involved in a physical struggle with Fazeli, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly.

…

“He would have stabbed me,” Peters said. “I mean, he had it out saying, ‘I’m going to kill you MFer! I’m going to kill you!’ I could see his thumb trying to get the knife out.”

He said the encounters started with verbal threats.

“He picks up a coffee cup to rear back and throw it at us. And I jumped around the table. He throws the coffee cup and misses us. It hits the ground and breaks,” remembered Peters. “So I come out and grab him and wrestle him and throw him down to the ground.”

He said that was when Fazeli pulled out a knife.

“He’s screaming, ‘I’ll kill you MFer! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!’ And he’s kind of circling me trying to get the knife out,” said Peters.

For some time, we’ve seen the left be relatively unhinged at the thought of Republicans even existing. Despite their history of claiming the right–especially gun owners–are violent, though, it’s been leftists who have committed violent acts time and time again.

If you oppose their plans for this country, they see you as a threat, and not just a threat to their agenda. They see you as a threat that needs to be eliminated.

I’d love to say that this is an isolated nutball, but it’s not. There are numerous examples of similar people wanting to watch their opponents be murdered, even if they lack the guts to try and do it themselves. Twitter, in particular, is full of examples.

For many of us, people who are vocal about our politics, it’s a good idea to stay armed. While we’re not congressmen or congressional candidates, it’s only a matter of time before things get really nasty, unless something changes.