Study finds local white male conservative officials now target of harassment

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new report from researchers at the University of San Diego shows how nasty political life has become for local elected leaders.
“This year, we really see white, rural conservative demographics taking the issue of threats and harassment even more seriously, especially when it comes to their personal reactions like calling the police or considering leaving public offices,” said John Porten, senior research manager at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Porten has been studying the threats and harassment everyone, from school board members to county supervisors and district attorneys, is facing.
The biggest finding from his research, which relied on surveys, interviews, and social media posts in 2023, is an increase in vitriol newly directed at white, male conservative elected officials in rural areas.
“Last year, I think it was an issue that mostly troubled liberals and women, and this year, we’ve got a lot of signs from both our survey and our interviews that rural male conservatives are starting to think more seriously about this issue,” he said.
Porten and other researchers interviewed elected officials in San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties for the study.
They’ve released a report called California Threats and Harassment Initiative.
It says some leaders have gotten threatening emails with photos of their homes, followed by vehicles circling their property for hours.
Others reported being confronted in person and have gotten restraining orders.
Porten said women continue to receive over 10 times the amount of hate and threats than their male peers.
“We still think that women are really, really on the receiving end of a lot of that violent rhetoric and a lot of that harassment that is maybe just intended to make them think twice about doing public service in the first place,” he said.
The report found 67% of elected leaders now believe that threats and harassment are a routine part of public service.
You can find a PDF of the report below: