As the crime rate ticks upward in communities across the United States, it stands to reason that many voters have identified the issue as a leading factor in how they voted in the midterm elections.
Since crime statistics are especially bad in a number of Democratic-led regions and a recent Harvard-Harris poll found that a clear majority of Americans believe that “woke politicians” are largely to blame, many on the left are doing their best to shift the focus away from such topics.
That includes Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who appeared on MSNBC this week to denounce Republicans for daring to mention the nation’s ongoing crime wave.
“Morning Joe” co-host Mike Brzezinski asked her guest whether he believes his party has “a hold on the crime narrative” in the final stretch of the current election season.
“The other guys play the crime card relentlessly and shamelessly it seems every election,” he claimed. “And the facts and their portrayal of the facts are in entirely different places.”
Although he acknowledged that crime is a valid issue and insisted that Democrats are “focused on it,” he cherry-picked statistics that show some categories of lawlessness have declined in certain areas of the country.
Democrat-run cities are not safe for Americans.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 1, 2022
“We invest deeply, not just here but as a party in the relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” the governor added. “We invest in law enforcement, so they’re really good at playing the card.”
Murphy went on to compare the GOP’s focus on crime to President Richard Nixons’ “Southern Strategy,” asserting: “It’s got racial elements to it. Let’s just call that for what it is.”
His rhetoric echoed that of Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who decried Republicans as “master manipulators” during a recent interview on the same cable news network.
Insisting that Democratic-led states are actually safer than those under Republican leadership, she described anyone who claims otherwise as “data deniers.”
