POLITICAL VIOLENCE & SIGN DESTRUCTION LEADING UP TO ELECTION DAY

Prior to 2018 Election Day, Andrew Janz volunteer Brian Bobbit witnessed a man destroying an Andrew Janz sign at the corner of Herndon and Academy. He decided to move his camper to the location to take care of his signs. “It gets taken down, I put it up, taken down, put it up. It just became an I’m gonna win this, not you,” said Bobbit. )

Political leaders believed political violence, such as defacing campaign signs, was getting worse. In September, Janz’ office in Visalia was broken into after a rock was thrown through a window. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office in Bakersfield was similiarly hit by a rock.

“Some of the people that are espousing or advocating words that indicate that it’s okay to be violent, they need to stop that,” said Fred Vanderhoff, chairman of the Fresno County Republican Party.

Even from different sides of the aisle, both Bobbit and Vanderhoff agreed on one thing: vote if you want to make a difference.