Republicans Go Gaga for Kamala Harris in Bucks County

Kamala Harris with Kristina Lange (in striped shirt) at a rally in Bucks County at Washington Crossing Historic Park. / Photography by Nick Norlen

Kamala Harris’s campaign rally at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County on Wednesday featured a roster of speakers following the usual approach — endorsing her and denouncing Donald Trump. But this rally had a twist: Every single one of the speakers was a Republican. 

With a “Country Over Party” banner as a backdrop, Harris took the stage with more than a dozen Republican former leaders, and at least one Republican who currently holds office: Willistown Township Supervisor Bob Lange, who with his wife Kristina introduced Harris to the stage. The Langes became the target of threats and harassment last month after appearing in a Harris campaign commercial (watch it here) that attracted national attention when it was aired on MSNBC.

“Never in a million years did either of us think that we’d be standing here supporting a Democrat,” Kristina said in her introduction. “But we’ve had enough.”  

Bob, a Chester County farmer, said after the rally that it was “overwhelming” and “very emotional” to be on stage introducing Harris. Since the initial backlash to their appearance in the campaign ad, visitors to his farm market have voiced encouragement for his support of Harris, with 80 percent coming from Democrats and 20 percent from Republicans, he said. 

Harris’s appearance in Washington Crossing on Wednesday took place just hours before she sat for an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier — another example of the campaign’s attempts to court non-Democrats. With less than three weeks until election day, that pitch has been especially fevered in deeply purple Bucks County, which has been the subject of increased attention by both campaigns as key to winning Pennsylvania. J.D. Vance held a rally at the Newtown Athletic Club on September 28th after a planned Trump visit to Doylestown earlier in the month was canceled. The county has gone Democratic in the last two presidential elections by narrow margins, and Republicans overtook Democrats among registered voters in the county over the summer. 

During her speech, Harris emphasized themes of bipartisanship on a stage populated by Republicans including former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, former Pennsylvania Congressman Jim Greenwood, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. “In a typical election year, you all being here with me might be a bit surprising, dare I say unusual,” Harris said. “But not in this election.” She repeated her pledge to appoint a Republican member to her cabinet and said the nation “must have a healthy two-party system.”

Speaking in front of the boathouse where the historic park houses the boats used for the annual crossing reenactment, Harris opened her speech by recounting the events in Washington Crossing that ultimately led to victory in the American Revolution and the adoption of the Constitution. Later, when speaking about the importance of taking an oath to uphold the Constitution, she criticized Trump’s comments on Sunday. The former president had spoken about an “enemy from within” that he said “should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military.”

After the rally, Whitman said she thinks undecided voters may be swayed to vote for Harris by listening to her speeches — or to Trump’s. “Particularly in the last couple of speeches he’s given, he’s off the rails,” Whitman said.