‘A conversation that needs to happen’: Democrats agonize over ‘defund the police’ fallout

As Democrats turn toward defending their congressional majorities next year, the party is running headlong into one important piece of unfinished business: the bitter debate over whether protesters’ push to defund the police seriously damaged their prospects in 2020.

Nearly five months after Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) angrily scolded her colleagues in a widely leaked call for saying “defund the police when that's not what we mean,” the argument over its impact is still raging.

In private email exchanges and on public social media platforms, Democratic elected officials, operatives and...