… The increased salience of crime, as the rate of homicides and other incidents of violence skyrocket across the country, is now a threat to Democrats’ congressional majorities in next year’s midterms. The party’s left-wing activists advanced “defunding the police” as a campaign slogan throughout much of 2020, without much pushback from party leaders. …
Democrats are still struggling to project a consistent message on dealing with violent crime, as leaders try to keep the party’s outspoken left-wing lawmakers on the same page as its most politically vulnerable members. That’s not an easy task. …
For too long, Democrats held onto a comforting fiction that the issue of rising crime was merely a conservative-fueled narrative, amplified by Fox News but far removed from the day-to-day lives of most Americans. Between the New York City election results and national polling showing the issue becoming a top priority for all voters, avoiding the subject isn’t sustainable anymore. CONTINUED
Josh Kraushaar, National Journal
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