Democrats could be more vulnerable in California with the growing crime issue plaguing even the state’s most notable lawmakers.
The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that some political strategists are noting how voters are becoming more concerned about crime ahead of the November election. The issue apparently grew after both California Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass were victims of robbery and burglary, respectfully.
"Voters are thinking: You’ve got to be kidding me," Darry Sragow, a longtime Democratic strategist, told the L.A. Times. "Adam Schiff isn’t safe, Karen Bass isn’t safe — if they’re not safe, who is?"
Though the report called the crimes "ready-made fodder for Republican critics who often lambast California’s approach to public safety," Mark Baldassare, the survey director of the Public Policy Institute of California, acknowledged that crime is "definitely one of the top issues on voters’ minds right now."
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Baldassare’s own research found that between December 2023 and February, likely voters considering crime as their most important issue rose from 8% to 12%. The growth was more prominent among independent voters, with 17% of them now rating crime as their top issue.
"The thing about crime is, it doesn’t take much — it just takes one or two things that people notice and makes them scared," Baldassare said.
Republican strategist Rob Stutzman commented that while some positions, like the open Senate race between Schiff and Republican challenger Steve Garvey, could be safe, some House of Representative seats in swing districts could be affected. He remarked that some Democratic state lawmakers trying to push back against crime show that the issue is "clearly a vulnerability" ahead of the fall.
"The pendulum is swinging, and it’s dragging them with it," Stutzman warned.
Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office and Schiff for a comment.
Since 2020, there has been a statewide rise in property crime and theft, with local critics attributing the increase to what they term "soft-on-crime" policies like Proposition 47 and 57. However, the issue has now caused a divide among Democrats in the legislature. Some are joining forces with Republicans to propose bipartisan bills aimed at curbing petty theft, while progressive lawmakers introduced their own alternative measures – dubbed Smart Solutions – that focus on providing additional services for offenders.
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Earlier this week, former L.A. district attorney Steve Cooley pointed out the irony that politicians like Schiff, who have previously enforced soft-on-crime policies, have now been victims of crime.
"If the super majority Democrat legislature wants to really have a positive impact on crime, they should reverse some of their previous previously enacted reckless public safety laws that have dramatically negatively impacted public safety," Cooley told Fox News Digital. "I just think it's ironic that Adam Schiff, who endorsed George Gascon, very publicly and very enthusiastically, is a victim of a theft."
