Republican-controlled state governments are opening an explosive new front in their decadelong drive to exert more control over the decisions — and decision makers — in Democratic-run cities and counties.
From Florida and Mississippi to Georgia, Texas and Missouri, an array of red states are taking aggressive new steps to seize authority over local prosecutors, city policing policies, or both. …
The growing efforts by red states to seize authority over law enforcement in blue cities is drawing energy from the convergence of two powerful trends.
One is the increased tendency of red states to override the decisions of those blue metros on a wide array of issues — on everything from minimum wage and family leave laws to environmental regulations, mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even recycling policies for plastic bags. The other is the intensifying political struggle over crime that has produced an intense pushback against the demands for criminal justice reform that emerged in the nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. CONTINUED
Ronald Brownstein, CNN
The OPINION TODAY email newsletter is a concise daily rundown of significant new poll results and insightful analysis. It’s FREE. Sign up here: opiniontoday.substack