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I’ll admit it: Democrats are on the defensive when it comes to crime. President Donald Trump’s takeovers of Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles aren’t making America any safer, but they’re effective stunts — designed to put Democrats on the back foot and distract from his administration driving our country to economic ruin.
Republican law and order messaging is nothing new — Google “Richard Nixon.” But in the wake of the whole “defund the police” debacle, Democrats are still working to find clear, consistent answers to it that voters trust. Democrats’ perceived positions on law-and-order issues are some of the clear disconnects we have with working-class voters of all races.
That needs to change — and fast. The stupidity from the White House will only intensify heading into the 2026 midterms. We need to be ready to not just counter punch, but to go on offense when talking about crime. Democrats can’t get caught up litigating stupid slogans.
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The good news is that former Virginia Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is on the ballot this November for governor in Virginia, is delivering a masterclass in what credible leadership on stopping crime looks like.
Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Democratic Party nominee for governor, addresses the crowd during an event in support of her run for office at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center in Richmond, Virginia, on April 8, 2025. (Max Posner/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
This month, the Virginia Police Benevolent Association, the state’s largest police union, unanimously endorsed Spanberger — the first time they’ve backed a Democrat for governor of Virginia since the late 2000s. They notably snubbed Spanberger’s opponent in this year’s race, current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who these police had endorsed in 2021 and whose campaign highlights to-date include telling recently laid-off Virginians that she doesn’t “understand why” losing your job is “a huge, huge thing.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time Spanberger stands apart from her party. Five years ago, the former federal law enforcement officer, CIA officer and daughter of a cop, blasted fellow Democrats for adopting “defund the police” messaging, warning that the phrase was both substantively wrong and politically toxic. Sounds familiar.
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Instead of following the worst instincts of her party, Spanberger has repeatedly stuck to her guns and bucked the party orthodoxy. She talks about what it means to wear the badge, and what it meant to see her dad put one on every day when he went to work.
She crossed the aisle to vote for additional funding for police departments. She also led the charge to let retired officers receive the full Social Security benefits they paid into during their careers. That law even earned her recent praise from the Fraternal Order of Police, the same police union that endorsed Trump during each of his three runs for president.
These aren’t just political winners, they’re the kind of decisions that Americans actually agree with — even if they leave some liberals grumbling. A 2024 survey by Pew Research Center found that nearly six in 10 adults, including almost half of Democrats, wanted “reducing crime” to be a top priority for American leaders.
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A Gallup poll from the same year showed public confidence in the police rising to its highest level since 2018, with big increases among young people, non-white Americans and political independents — the exact voters Democrats lost ground with in 2024.
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But to win elections, Democrats need to do more than just govern effectively — we need to aggressively communicate the steps we’re taking to actually make American communities safer. That means speaking in plain, direct language that people really use, not sounding like we’re auditioning for NPR pledge week.
Democrats need to be on the attack. Our party’s leaders can’t be afraid to call out Republican recklessness when it puts lives at risk. Just look at Louisiana’s Republican governor, who deployed National Guard troops this month not to respond to a real emergency, but to score political points with Trump. Washington bureaucrats might not know, but we’re in the middle of hurricane season, and our governor wants Louisiana’s troops used as props for photo-ops. Seems nuts to me.
Instead of following the worst instincts of her party, Spanberger has repeatedly stuck to her guns and bucked the party orthodoxy.
The Democratic Party needs to bring more candidates into the fold who can speak to families’ very real concerns about crime. Leaders like Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor this year, didn’t just serve our country — they’re moms. They know firsthand that safety and security aren’t abstract talking points, they’re a daily concern for American families.
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That kind of authenticity cuts through the B.S. in lazy Republican attack ads and PR stunts. It connects with voters who want to see leaders buck up and do something to actually prevent crime in their communities.
Democrats running in 2026 — and beyond — should pay attention.
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