Republicans Revive Tough-on-Crime Message Before Midterms as Affordability Concerns Mount/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Republicans are emphasizing crime, policing and border security as frustration over living costs and the Iran war complicates their midterm campaigns. Democrats are responding with law enforcement endorsements, public safety proposals and promises to fund police departments. Some Republicans question whether crime will resonate strongly enough with voters, while Democrats counter with allegations of corruption against the Trump administration.
Quick Look
- Campaign strategy: Republicans are highlighting public disorder, violent crime and illegal immigration across gubernatorial and congressional races.
- Police funding attacks: GOP candidates accuse Democratic opponents of supporting cuts to law enforcement.
- Democratic response: Candidates are showcasing prosecutorial experience, sheriff endorsements and plans for additional public safety funding.
- Crime trends: Violent crime has generally declined since the 1990s, apart from a brief pandemic-era increase.
- Border polling: A September AP-NORC poll found 48% approved of Trump’s border security performance, down from 55% a year earlier.
- Republican skepticism: Sen. Thom Tillis says crime does not appear to be a leading voter concern.
- Competing accusations: Democrats are attacking alleged administration corruption, while the White House accuses them of deflecting from their crime policies.
Deep Look
Republicans Turn to Crime as Economic Frustration Grows
WASHINGTON — Republicans are returning to a familiar campaign strategy ahead of the midterms: portraying Democrats as weak on crime while emphasizing policing, border security and law and order.
Political advertisements warn about police funding cuts, campaign events feature law enforcement unions, and Republican speeches highlight low violent crime levels.
The approach offers the party a potential offensive message as voters grow dissatisfied with its handling of affordability and the war against Iran.
Democrats are countering by promoting candidates with law enforcement experience and outlining their own public safety priorities.
Johnson and Trump Promote Law-and-Order Record
House Speaker Mike Johnson recently credited Republican policies for improvements in public safety.
“Do you know that right now we have the lowest violent crime rate in 126 years in America right now? Because we emphasize the rule of law,” Johnson told an audience at Louisiana State University.
“We have the most secure border we have had in the past half century.”
Crime rates have generally declined since the 1990s, with a brief increase during the COVID pandemic.
Trump returned to the issue during Monday’s Nebraska rally, describing conditions before his return to office.
“We had a border with people pouring in, crime like nobody’s ever seen,” he said.
Governors’ Races Feature Police Funding and Bail Disputes
Republican gubernatorial candidates in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin have accused Democratic opponents of being insufficiently tough on crime or potentially reducing police budgets.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has criticized Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa for opposing legislation requiring judges to deny bail to people in the country illegally who are charged with violent crimes.
Hinojosa, a state representative and civil rights lawyer, has argued that Abbott’s approach infringes on civil liberties.
In Georgia, Republican billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson has repeatedly challenged former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over her record.
“I grew up in the type of neighborhood Keisha Lance Bottoms abandoned,” Jackson said at a summer rally. “I know who gets hurt when politicians defund the police.”
Bottoms told Atlanta station 11Alive that her administration raised police and firefighter pay and that she sought greater federal public safety funding as mayor.
Congressional Candidates Trade Attacks Over Public Safety
The same themes are appearing in competitive House races.
In Virginia’s 1st District, Republican Rep. Rob Wittman has attacked Democratic prosecutor Shannon Taylor’s allegedly “soft on crime” record.
In Michigan’s 10th District, Republican Michael Bouchard emphasizes his service as a Bronze Star Army captain and his connection to a longtime local sheriff as his son. He has accused former prosecutor Christina Hines, his Democratic opponent, of supporting “woke, soft on crime, socialist policies.”
Colorado’s 8th District Republican Rep. Gabe Evans highlights his police career against Democrat Manny Rutinel.
In Wisconsin’s 3rd District, Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden is seeking a third victory over Democrat Rebecca Cooke while portraying her as a communist who wants to cut police funding.
Republicans hope these arguments can energize dissatisfied supporters and attract moderate voters whose economic concerns have weakened their support for the party.
Democrats Highlight Sheriffs, Prosecutors and Funding Commitments
Democratic candidates have responded by presenting their own law enforcement credentials and endorsements.
Taylor released an advertisement featuring 13 local sheriffs supporting her campaign.
Rutinel appeared in advertisements with local police and introduced a safety plan calling for increased police funding and drug prevention programs.
Hines said she would continue prioritizing public safety and prosecuting corruption in Washington.
Cooke has pledged to fully fund police departments through her work in Congress.
Border Security Remains Relative Strength but Support Has Declined
Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri said the party needs to keep discussing crime and border security even when those issues receive less attention.
“We’ve got to talk about it. I think that in many ways, we are the victim of our own success because it’s off the headlines a little bit more,” said Schmitt, a former state attorney general. “Having a completely secure border now, no one even talks about it. But that’s a huge accomplishment from where we were at before.”
A September AP-NORC poll found that 48% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s performance on border security.
Although that represents a relative strength for the president, it is below the 55% approval recorded a year earlier.
Tillis Questions Whether Crime Is a Leading Voter Issue
Not all Republicans believe the renewed emphasis will deliver electoral gains.
“I don’t see that bubbling up as a major issue for the voters,” said retiring North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.
Republicans seeking to hold his seat have aired advertisements accusing Democratic nominee Roy Cooper of leniency toward convicted offenders during his two terms as governor.
Black political leaders have condemned the advertisements as racist and compared them with earlier campaigns that used racial signals to appeal to suburban white voters.
At a rally supporting Republican nominee Michael Whatley, Trump invoked the 1988 “Willie Horton” advertisement and displayed dozens of mugshots of men of color on a large screen.
Tillis offered a different assessment of safety in his state.
“Frankly, when I hear somebody talking about crime in Charlotte, I live 25 minutes from downtown. I’m not worried about walking through Charlotte at night,” he said.
Democrats Counter With Corruption Allegations Against Trump
National Democrats argue that Republican law-and-order messaging is undermined by the administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
Those operations resulted in the deaths of two American protesters in January and the fatal shootings of multiple undocumented people.
Democrats are also accusing Trump of corruption and criticizing Republicans for alleged complicity in presidential self-dealing.
“This is the biggest criminal organization that we’ve ever seen,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego said of the White House.
“Democrats should be pushing back with the fact that, if not for the fact that he was president, this guy would be leading some type of mafia right now.”
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis rejected the attacks.
“extreme Democrats are trying to deflect from their radical soft on crime agenda,” she said.
The competing messages leave voters weighing public safety claims alongside economic concerns and accusations about the conduct of those in power.
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