Lifelong Republican couple in Chester County faces intense backlash for role in Kamala Harris ad
CHESTER COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Chester County couple Bob and Kristina Lange are facing an onslaught of hateful and derogatory messages following an appearance in a campaign ad for Vice President Kamala Harris.
"I'm pissed, no one deserves this," said Bob Lange.
People voting for former President Donald Trump in rural America are the intended audience for the ad, which began airing in select markets last week.
Kristina Lange said she initially did not want to participate.
"I realized that the message that we wanted to reach certain people was more important," she said.
Soon after it went live, the ad was discussed on a national cable news program. That's when the Langes say the onslaught of calls, emails to their business, and social media attacks began.
"I'm sad, I'm thoroughly sad that the Republican Party is being ruled by a narrow MAGA group that will not believe the truth if you say it. They deny it. And I don't know how to handle that," Bob said.
Bob, who's a commissioner in Willistown and has been for nearly 30 years, says the January 6 insurrection was the last straw for him after voting for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
"I saw what I saw and to me, that was the straw that broke the camel's back," Bob said. "This is gonna take a generation for the Republican Party to come back as we knew it if we want to get back there."
For Kristina, it was the former president's handling of the pandemic. She voted for Trump in 2016 but did not vote for either candidate in 2020.
"It seemed to me that he really didn't care or he didn't have a plan," Kristina said.
Recently, when a Montgomery County GOP official announced his support for Harris, he received similar attacks and his home was swatted.
Swatting is described as an incident where someone reports a fabricated emergency to draw a large law enforcement presence to a specific address.
Villanova University Department of Communications Senior Instructor Derek Arnold explained why these cross-party endorsements draw such intense anger and criticism.
"There's such a strong personality pull with Donald Trump and his followers. I think you're seeing that makes it hard - how do you walk through that minefield?" Arnold said.
Amid the hate, though, Bob says there's also been support.
Business at the farm has ticked up with callers from across the country wanting to place orders. Locals have been showing their support too.
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The Langes say they have no regrets.
"Absolutely not. I'm a Taurus, I'm a farmer, I'm stubborn, I see things through. This is probably the best thing we could've done," Bob Lange said.
The Langes have gone to the police but many of the calls and messages they're receiving are being sent anonymously or in ways that can't be traced, the couple said.
They say police have set up extra patrols out of precaution and they've also taken extra security measures themselves.
