Crime Ads Play Big Role in Competitive House, Senate Races

Republicans in competitive House and Senate districts are hitting Democrats with a barrage of ads focused on voters’ increased fears about the surge in violent crime in recent years, with the issue playing a central role in many tight races.

Republicans have called Democrats too tolerant of crime after social-justice protests in 2020 swept through the country over policing abuses, and have criticized some Democrats’ support of measures such as eliminating cash bail. They also have tied Democratic candidates to calls from activists to defund police departments and shift money to other resources. 

Democrats have responded by citing bills that passed the House in September that would send grants to police departments, as well as their advocacy for tighter gun laws they say would reduce crime. Many also say that changes to the criminal justice system are long overdue, citing what they say is over-incarceration in minority and low-income communities. Last week, President Biden pardoned all prior federal convictions of simple possession of marijuana.

Higher violent-crime rates since the Covid-19 pandemic began have made crime a major concern in local and national elections, with violence hitting both cities and rural areas. Federal Bureau of Investigation data released in the past week shows murders rose 4% last year after increasing nearly 30% in 2020.