Republicans have been addressing the issue of crime in several different Senate battleground states. They have widely been promoting the message that Democrats have increased the level of crimes and lawlessness.
In Pennsylvania, Republicans are using high-profile criminal cases, such as the ransacking of a Wawa store, and the shooting of five students, in the Philadelphia area as key incidents.
Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman now has to be in defense as he tries to limit the Black Lives Matter messaging from his website.
In Wisconsin, Republicans are similarly hoping to link Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Democratic Senate nominee, to Chesa Boudin, the former San Francisco District Attorney, who is now longer in office because of the increased crimes and homelessness in his area.
Republicans believe that crime is one of the key issues that can help them gain the support of swing voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, and North Carolina.
A Senate Republican strategist said that crime is one of the few issues that concerns Republicans, independents, and Democrats. This is why the party is focusing on crime as they try to take attention away from the issue of abortion rights.
Abortion rights, which were threatened after the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade are bringing many voters to the polls in support of the Democrats.
There are some Senate Democrats who have acknowledged that crime is a political liability. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has privately been working with the White House to find a way to address the issue.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), has said that Republicans are going to be talking about crime and focusing on legislation that will help make communities a lot safer.
