Democratic Candidates Grapple with ‘Defund the Police’

“Just months before the midterm elections, Democrats hope to convince voters that lawlessness under President Donald Trump’s administration is the biggest threat to their rights and pocketbooks. But the party’s past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch,” the Associated Press reports.

“Across the country, Democratic candidates are grappling with their previous positions calling to ‘defund the police’ — a prominent demand during the protests that followed George Floyd’s death — by either reimagining public safety services altogether or redirecting some police departments’ funds to other social programs. Now, they are facing tough questions about their past positions.”

“Democratic leaders fear that the outlier opinions favoring police defunding may again tarnish the party’s brand and sink its chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor’s mansions and statehouses nationwide.”