Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker expressed his sympathies to Kirk and his family, saying that the right-wing figure has "become a target for somebody."
"I don't know whether it's political violence because I don't know who did it," the progressive governor and presidential foe said at a press conference. "But I will say that political violence, unfortunately, has been ratcheting up in this country. We saw the shootings, the killings in Minnesota, we've seen other political violence occur in other states. And I would just say it's gotta stop."
"I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president's rhetoric often foments it," he continued, before arguing the Jan. 6 rioters he "tripped a new era of political violence."