The term “political violence” is under the microscope after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet at a rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.

From both sides of the political aisle, Massachusetts leaders issued statements condemning the shooting incident, which left a rally-goer dead and two others critically injured.

Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, posted on X, “Political violence has no place in this country, and all Americans must condemn it.”

Most of the state’s Congressional delegation, all Democrats, also weighed in with similar sentiments.

“Political violence has no place in our democracy,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who represents the state’s Fourth District.

And in a statement, the Massachusetts Republican Party said it urged all Americans to “not become so entrenched in division that we forget we are all brothers and sisters under the American flag.”

The incident, which is under investigation as an assassination attempt, appears to affirm the fears many Massachusetts voters expressed when responding to a GBH News/Commonwealth Beacon poll earlier this year.

The poll, conducted in March, showed that 64% of registered voters believed that major violence related to the presidential election was either “somewhat likely” or “very likely.”

Democrats and left-leaning residents felt major violence was more likely than their conservative counterparts.

Political violence is more commonly associated with governments that do not abide by democratic norms, said Jeff Berry, a professor emeritus of political science at Tufts University.

“The essence of democracy is: we settle things at the ballot box. And even if we’re disappointed and think things were unfair, we accept those elections as determinative,” Berry said.

He noted the irony that Trump, the same candidate who did not accept that democratic norm in the 2020 election — and whose supporters attacked the capitol on January 6, 2021 — may now have become the target of political violence himself.

Even though the shooting took place at a political rally, authorities say they still have not yet determined a motive.

The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburban town not far from where the campaign rally took place.

Investigators were working Sunday to gather more information about Crooks who was killed by the Secret Service moments after he opened fire at the rally. According to the AP, explosives were found in Crooks’ vehicle and at his home.

Political violence comes in many forms, including physical assaults and property damage. The news wire service Reuters found last year that the United States was grappling with the most substantive increase of political violence since the 1970s.