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Just over a week after an assassination attempt against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump resulted in the killing of one bystander and left two people critically injured, a GOP state senator from Ohio was condemned for saying a Democratic victory in November would result in a “civil war.”
“I believe wholeheartedly Donald Trump and Butler County’s JD Vance are the last chance to save our country, politically,” state Sen. George Lang (R-4) said at a rally for Vance, the first-term U.S. senator from Ohio whom Trump selected as his running mate last week. “I’m afraid if we lose this one, it’s going to take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved.”
Lang apologized on social media soon after he made his comments at the rally in Middletown, Ohio, saying they were “divisive” and calling for all politicians to “be mindful” of what they say at political events ahead of the election.
Senator George Lang calling for a civil war is disgusting. Political violence has been condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike. Inciting violence over an election that hasn’t even occurred yet is irresponsible and undemocratic. https://t.co/jccxGqnfce
— Ohio Senate Dems (@OHSenDemCaucus) July 22, 2024
But Lang’s comments came after numerous polls have shown sizable portions of Americans, particularly Republican voters, sympathizing with the state lawmaker’s message.
In May, the Marist National Poll found that 47% of Americans believed a civil war in the U.S. would occur in their lifetime, including 53% of Republican voters.
In April, 28% of Republican voters said in a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist survey that violence may be needed to “get the country back on track.”
Lang’s call for “civil war” came as endorsements poured in for Vice President Kamala Harris to run as the Democratic nominee, a day after President Joe Biden announced he was stepping aside in the presidential race following weeks of pressure and concerns about his age and health.
Ammar Moussa, spokesperson for the Harris for President campaign, said Lang’s comments were no accident and called on Trump and Vance to denounce the call for violence.
“Donald Trump and JD Vance are running a campaign openly sowing hatred and promising revenge against their political opponents. It’s a feature, not a bug, of their campaign and message to the American people,” said Moussa. “Trump and Vance pay lip service to unity, but their actions are more focused on dividing Americans than bringing us together. It’s the polar opposite of everything Vice President Harris stands for.”
The Ohio state Senate Democrats denounced Lang’s comments as “irresponsible and undemocratic,” and noted that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have condemned political violence.
