Two-thirds of officeholders in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties have received threats, according to the second phase of a University of San Diego survey on harassment of elected officials.
The initial findings showed no significant difference in race or party affiliation. But findings did show a huge gender gap.
Eight percent of men reported weekly intimidation, compared to 31% of women. Thirty-eight percent of men and 69% of women said they experienced hostility monthly. A social media analysis also showed local women politicians received up to four times as many aggressive replies as their male counterparts.
“The conclusion is that women are experiencing a volume of threats, almost in order of magnitude worse than men,” said John Porten, research manager at USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice.
The survey is being conducted by the institute’s Violence, Inequality and Power Lab. Final results will be released in September. The first phase of research in 2023 polled elected officials in San Diego County. It showed that 75% said they had been threatened and harassed, prompting them to consider leaving office and to censor what they said publicly to shield themselves from hostility.
“People are shocked by that and they should be shocked by that,” said Rachel Locke, director of the Violence, Inequality and Power Lab. “We need to translate that shock into action. That’s how we figure out the right solutions.”
Researchers expanded their reach this year to neighboring Imperial and Riverside counties and found similar sentiments.
“This isn’t a San Diego problem,” Locke said. “We wanted to be able to do a little bit of comparison between San Diego and adjacent counties. Our goal in the medium term is to do California-wide research.”
She said the vitriol aimed at elected officials is happening on social media, in direct emails and at public meetings. A recent KPBS study of public comments at the San Diego County Board of Supervisors meetings showed incivility has surged since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Locke said the nastiness is leaving its mark on people in office, with some sharing what others have advised them on how to deal with the harassment.
“I’m being told to toughen up,” said Locke paraphrasing poll respondents. “I'm being told to have thicker skin. I'm being told this really isn't a problem, but I can't sleep at night. I don't feel safe. I'm worried about where I go in my community. Am I crazy? Am I crazy to feel these ways?”
Just as women and racial minorities reported in last year’s survey, conservative white male politicians are now reporting that threats against them are intensifying and they are scared.
Porten said researchers are still interpreting those findings, but one possible explanation is that the harassers may be buoyed by their own success and want to target officeholders, previously considered invulnerable.
“The conclusion that we've drawn looking at our results and some results across the country that say similar things is that there was a group of people that were seen as easy targets, and now the threats and harassment have started to move out from those groups,” Porten said. “If it worked to intimidate these people, there's no reason that we can't intimidate others.”
Porten added that more elected officials are reporting that some of the hostility is coming from colleagues.
“That’s not something we heard as much last year,” he said.
