(NewsNation) — A shooting at the Hickory, North Carolina home of Republican congressional candidate Pat Harrigan’s parents is under investigation. Harrigan’s parents were watching Harrigan’s young children, ages 3 and 5, when a bullet shattered their laundry room window the night of Oct. 18. No one was physically injured.

Due to the shooting, Harrigan says his family has been sent out of state for the remainder of the election for their safety.

“As a former Green Beret, I’m pretty used to getting shot at. My family is not used to getting shot at, and I’m not used to that happening, either,” Harrigan said Monday on “Banfield.”

He continued: “When you’re a candidate, you don’t have any protective detail, no security. You are completely on your own when this type of stuff happens. So we’ve just had to send everybody out to the four winds. You know, my wife, my kids, my daughters, they’re all out of state through the remainder of the election. We can’t share this time together.”

Harrigan said it’s just one frustrating reality of America’s current political discord. He said he never thought he would have something in common with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and now they “have a lot in common” following the attacks at their family homes.

“We have a lot in common. We’re both Americans. I think we all need to sit back and step back and understand that the future of this nation is in our hands and the trajectory of the world will follow us if we step up with appropriate leadership in this country,” Harrigan said.

Harrigan is facing off in the midterms against Democratic state Senator Jeff Jackson for an open U.S. House seat in North Carolina’s 14^th District in western Charlotte. Jackson condemned the shooting in a tweet.

“It appears that someone — who has yet to be identified — fired a shot into the home of my opponent’s parents,” Jackson tweeted. “It was absolutely an act of violence and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

In an interview with NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield, Harrigan accused his opponent of telling “truly vile and nasty lies” about him and using “reprehensible rhetoric” and photos of his children.

Harrigan says a cascade of events during the campaign have been troubling, including the shooting and receiving a credible death threat.

“Look, this is not the America that I know. This is not the America that I love. This is not the America that I hope to pass onto my children,” Harrigan said. “So, I hope that our politicians can lead by example and stop sacrificing the safety and security of our political opponents on the altar of scoring political points. If we care about this country at all, our politicians need to do better.”

Harrigan said right now in the shooting investigation, there are unfortunately more questions than answers. He believes authorities are taking every step they can to secure his family and bring the person or persons responsible to justice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.