Legislative candidate reports death threat

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 30, 2026

PORT ANGELES — A candidate for the state House Legislative District 24 position 1 seat said he’s received a death threat.

Aiden Hamilton, a Republican, found a Facebook message last week from someone named Michael Dionne, possibly a resident of Bangor, Maine, which said “Can’t wait to see your obituary kid.”

“When I was speaking with people, they believed it would count as a veiled threat,” said Hamilton, 18. “I reached out to the Port Angeles Police Department. They’ve informed me of what they could or couldn’t do.”

Hamilton called the PAPD at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday to report the message, according to an incident report from the department.

“I spoke with (reporting party) and he read the quote direct from a screenshot for me,” Sgt. Dave Arand wrote in the report. “The threat, while veiled, does not constitute a crime.”

Arand advised Hamilton to document in the call for service if any other threats come from the same source, according to the report.

“Under state law, it’s illegal to threaten people, it’s illegal to harass people,” Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith said.

The department would require more evidence to determine if a threat has been made, he said.

When asked if he felt personally threatened by the message, Hamilton said, “A little yes, a little no.”

“It is more concerning because the (threats) in the past I’ve received are a little bit more obscure and harder to tell,” he said. “This one is more obvious toward the actual threatening intent. It’s hard to imply that an adult would see a kid’s obituary without some kind of intervention, including violence. For me, I just tend to look at what would be a reason to believe or not believe it.”

After Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 10, 2025, during an event in Utah, Hamilton started a Club America chapter in Port Angeles and said he received threats and “implications of violence” toward him after doing so. Club America is part of Turning Point USA.

“It’s a sad commentary on our republic after the assassination of (Minnesota state Rep.) Melissa Hortman we know even state legislators are targets now,” Hamilton said in a news release.

Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, were assassinated at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on June 14, 2025.

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.