As crime devastates communities across our country, last week’s New York gubernatorial debate between Republican candidate Lee Zeldin and current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul came at a critical time. Democrats are flailing, with nowhere to turn.
When Zeldin pointed out that Hochul refused to talk about locking up criminals, her response was to dismiss the issue altogether. “I don’t know why that’s so important to you,” she said.
But Zeldin is far from the only person for whom rising crime rates and lax leftist policies are important. This issue is important to New Yorkers who are afraid to ride the subway for fear they’ll be robbed or pushed in front of a moving train — like a 32-year-old man in Brooklyn was recently.
Locking up criminals is also important to people across the country. According to Gallup, concern about crime is at its highest since 2016. Yet last year, Biden said he wants cities to “follow New York’s lead” on violent crime.
Democrats like Hochul are dodging questions on crime for a simple reason: Their soft-on-crime policies put criminals over their constituents. These policies include ending cash bail, refusing to prosecute so-called “quality-of-life” crimes, and reducing felonies to misdemeanors.
In New York, where Democratic bail “reforms” have been implemented, it’s been a complete disaster, with offenders released going on to kill innocent victims. In other Democrat-run cities, crimes such as aggravated assaults and carjackings are on the rise, continuing a trend from last year.
Democrats’ response has been to dismiss crime, as Hochul did during her debate with Zeldin, and gaslight Americans who are scared and worried. Just last week, Philadelphia’s Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner said those who notice the “lawless” behavior plaguing the city are using “coded and racist messaging.” Seventy percent of Philly residents are worried about crime. How could a black mother whose daughter was stabbed to death possibly be “racist”? And how could Biden say that Democrats have “a great record on crime” when it’s the Democratic Party’s “woke politicians” that 64% of Americans hold responsible for the increase in crime?
It is no coincidence that Krasner is Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman’s favorite progressive prosecutor. When Fetterman was mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, violent crime tripled. During his time as lieutenant governor, murders also soared. And on at least 15 occasions, Fetterman has expressed support for releasing one-third of Pennsylvania’s prison population. He is so radical that he’s said he would end “life without parole” for murderers if he had a magic wand. If elected to the Senate, Fetterman would prioritize the worst offenders over law-abiding citizens.
Like Fetterman, other Democratic Senate candidates — including Raphael Warnock in Georgia, Cheri Beasley in North Carolina, Tim Ryan in Ohio, and Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin — all support ending cash bail, which would lead to more criminals back on the streets.
In 2019, for example, Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan said he was “all for” releasing all “nonviolent criminals” — which would include fentanyl dealers. Because of President Joe Biden’s open borders, synthetic opioid deaths have skyrocketed 80% in two years, with deadly rainbow fentanyl continuing to pour into the country.
Similarly, Mandela Barnes wants to abolish ICE and provide driver’s licenses and in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants.
The extremism of Democrats is nothing new. No one should forget their calls to defund the police in 2020 and their demonization of our dedicated law enforcement. Barnes has said “it pains me” to see fully funded police budgets, and Sen. Raphael Warnock has called the men and women of law enforcement “thug[s],” “gangster[s],” and “bullies.”
Americans who do not agree with this type of radical ideology must vote Republican. Our candidates have empathy, but not for convicts. Rather, we sympathize with the mothers and fathers who want their children to be safe, and for the families grieving the loss of their children to violence or drugs. That’s why law enforcement organizations are backing Republicans such as Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Don Bolduc (R-NH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Adam Laxalt (R-NV), Blake Masters (R-AZ), Dr. Mehmet Oz (R-PA), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Herschel Walker (R-GA).
The Democratic Party is the pro-criminal party. The Republican Party is the party of law and order. It’s as simple as that. Please vote, if you haven’t already, to make your voice heard on this critical issue. Democrats may dismiss crime and gaslight Americans, but ultimately, it’s the voters who decide whether that kind of leadership is acceptable. What future do you want?
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Ronna McDaniel is the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
