Survey of 2021 Senate campaign websites: on Crime


Marjorie K. Eastman: Law enforcement stretched fighting rise in violent crime

Among the most tragic ripple effects of the pandemic is the rise of violent crime. Local law enforcement agencies are being stretched to their limits as they work to protect and serve our communities. This rise in crime threatens the safety and well-being of everybody, and we all have a role to play in confronting this crisis. Marjorie will lead from the front to bring law enforcement leaders and community members together to create a safer future for all North Carolinians.
Source: 2021 N.C. Senate campaign website MarjorieKEastman.com Oct 20, 2021

Tammy Duckworth: A strong advocate for comprehensive sentencing reform

Senator Duckworth believes our nation's criminal justice system must be reformed. She introduced legislation to require investigations into law enforcement officials' use of deadly force and has been a strong advocate for comprehensive sentencing reform, and Federal investments in training for law enforcement. She has been a leader in efforts to bring fairness to the prison video visitation and calling services that make it harder for families to maintain contact with incarcerated relatives.
Source: 2021 IL Senate campaign website duckworth.senate.gov Oct 11, 2021

Haneefah Khaaliq: Return to goal of rehabilitation, rather than tough on crime

People need compassion more than capital punishment and death sentences. I will work to create, support and reward prison systems who convert various aspects of their facilities to treatment and rehabilitation for the prevention of recidivism. Until the mid 1970s, rehabilitation was a key part of prison policy. Since then, rehabilitation has taken a back seat to a "get tough on crime" approach. We need to return to our roots.

Being tough on crime doesn't mean harsher laws or adding on more police. It means investing in the police we already have by providing them with the tools and resources they need to be stronger and better. It means greater transparency. It also means investing in crime prevention programs and providing our police with a multicultural education which includes education on the differently-abled and community policing.

Source: 2021 IN Senate campaign website HaneefahKhaaliq.org Oct 5, 2021

Gary Black: Defund the police is dumb, we need to RE-FUND the police

A violent crime wave has swept Atlanta and cities across America, a direct result of the regressive "defund the police" movement. Murders rose 30% in 2020, and they're already up another 16% in 2021. Defunding the police is the dumbest idea I've heard since D.C. statehood. We need to RE-FUND police, enforce the rule of law, and recruit the next generation of law enforcement officers and deputies. Raphael Warnock, who has a long history of insulting law enforcement, won't do that. I will.
Source: 2021 GA Senate campaign website VoteGaryBlack.com Oct 3, 2021

Matt Dolan: Unapologetically BACK THE BLUE; won't defund the police

Rising crime in Ohio and across America stems from the attacks socialist Democrats have relentlessly waged against our police officers. It's shameful and has no place in our communities. As a prosecutor and member of Ohio's General Assembly, I have always supported our police and first responders. In the U.S. Senate, I will unapologetically BACK THE BLUE and stop any attempt to defund the police.
Source: 2021 OH Senate campaign website DolanForOhio.com Sep 21, 2021

Tim Shepard: We must end the school to prison pipeline

We must end the school to prison pipeline. We can do this by promoting equity, and increasing participation in our representative democracy. There are too many broken laws that regularly feed children into the prison system. This inhumane treatment disproportionately forces our most vulnerable citizens into a cycle of oppressive poverty rather then addressing the underlying problems that lead to the poverty. In order to restore democracy, we need to fix our most un-democratic systems and laws.

Tim believes it's always the right time to do what's right. When he learned about the injustices of the pre-school to prison pipeline, he didn't listen to his superiors tell him it's the wrong time to act. He jumped into action as the most vocal advocate for divestment from for-profit prisons at a $630 billion asset management firm. In the face of being de-platformed and having his livelihood and career threatened, Tim stood his ground. It worked, they no longer trade for-profit prisons.

Source: 2021 MO Senate campaign website TShepard.com Sep 2, 2021

Valerie McCray: Prisons are the mental health hospitals for the poor

Her Toughness of spirit is most evident with her work with incarcerated men and women. Dr. McCray has worked in over a dozen high security prisons and jails in Indiana and Georgia. She has often said, "Prisons are the mental health hospitals for the poor." Dr. McCray also works with victims of violence and families that have lost loved ones to violence. She treats children that have been displaced due to abuse and neglect, girls that have been sex trafficked.
Source: 2021 IN Senate campaign website DrValerieMcCray.com Sep 2, 2021

Rett Newton: Our policing and criminal justice systems are broken

Our policing and criminal justice systems are broken, rooted in bias and racism, and in desperate need of reform. Racial bias and excessive force in law enforcement is unacceptable and there must be accountability. Rett will prioritize ending the school-to-prison pipeline, investing in preventative measures like mental health care, and eliminating for-profit prisons.
Source: 2021 NC Senate campaign website RettNewton.com Aug 29, 2021

Janice McGeachin: Family hires former convicts within their businesses

Our family proudly supports the successful workforce re-entry of formerly incarcerated Idahoans by providing them opportunities for gainful employment within our family businesses.
Source: 2021 ID Senate campaign website JaniceForIdaho.com Aug 25, 2021

Tiffany Smiley: Defunding the police undercuts foundation of lawful society

Our hometown heroes in blue are in need of our support today. Radical efforts to "defund the police" are wrong-headed and undercut the foundation of our lawful society. Our law enforcement and first responders need our support, resources, and improved training to meet the needs of our communities. I am committed to fighting for our local heroes and ensuring they receive the resources they need at every level of service, because our support is what they deserve.
Source: 2021 WA Senate campaign website SmileyForWashington.com Aug 24, 2021

Kerry McQuisten: I'm against defunding our police

WHAT ABOUT DEFUNDING OUR POLICE? I'm against it. Our Baker City Police Department knows it's financially and otherwise supported. Perhaps if Portland's Rapid Response Team had known they were supported, and allowed to do their jobs, Portland would be in much better shape.
Source: 2021 OR Senate campaign website KerryMcQuisten.com Aug 23, 2021

Jeff Jackson: Criminal justice reform: reduce use of mandatory minimum

Senator Jackson attended law school at UNC-Chapel Hill with help from the G.I. bill, before serving as the assistant district attorney in Gaston County. In Gaston County, he tried more than one hundred cases. Since then, Senator Jackson has dedicated much of his time in the General Assembly to reforming the criminal justice system, including working to close the consent loophole, decrease unnecessary charges and arrests, and improve our expungement laws.

We need comprehensive criminal justice reform and real investment in re-entry and treatment programs. Jeff proposed and supported decreasing unnecessary arrests and engagements with the police, reducing the use of mandatory minimums, and helping the tens of thousands of North Carolinians who lost their driver's licenses due to an unpaid traffic ticket. He has supported making it easier for people to have their records expunged if they were found not guilty or their charges were dismissed.

Source: 2021 NC Senate campaign website JeffJacksonNC.com Aug 12, 2021

Katie Britt: Make our police the best trained and equipped in the world

Radical calls to "Defund the Police" have no basis in reality, as they would do the most harm to the very underserved communities already experiencing the highest levels of violent crime. I believe in ensuring our law enforcement officers are the best trained and best equipped in the world; we must also recruit and retain the best people to protect and serve, which means ensuring these heroic individuals are paid and treated like the professionals that they are.
Source: 2021 AL Senate campaign website KatieBrittForSenate.com Aug 12, 2021

Mark McCloskey: Reduce the crime wave spreading across our state and country

Mark supports the following proposals to make sure Missourians have safe streets and that we reduce the crime wave that is spreading across our state and our country:
Source: 2021 MO Senate campaign website McCloskeyForSenate.com Aug 12, 2021

Allen Glines: Reported illegal gambling sites and had them shut down

I've assisted with community mental health operations. These efforts involved teaching group sessions and helping individuals live a more independent life. After overhearing a client talking about their struggles with a gambling-like game, I went to authorities to have a business selling gambling machines against state laws and a bingo parlor shutdown. I couldn't stand for a disadvantaged, vulnerable group being taken advantage of by an entity that was trying to profit off of them.
Source: 2021 Utah Senate campaign website AllenGlines.com Jul 21, 2021

Allen Glines: Ban private prisons, cash bail, and civil forfeiture

Source: 2021 Utah Senate campaign website AllenGlines.com Jul 21, 2021

Allen Glines: Increased penalties for facilities, persons for elder abuse

Source: 2021 Utah Senate campaign website AllenGlines.com Jul 21, 2021

Blake Masters: A society that permits mass lawlessness is doomed

A society that permits mass lawlessness is doomed. We are on that path. Crime is through the roof, police are under attack across the country, and politicians and journalists dismiss deadly mob violence as "mostly peaceful protests." Anyone who breaks the law should be arrested and tried and sentenced. It's time to get serious, so that Americans can go about their lives knowing they're safe and secure.
Source: 2021 Arizona Senate campaign website BlakeMasters.com Jul 19, 2021

John Hoeven: Prioritized improving public safety in tribal communities

We prioritized improving public safety in tribal communities. That includes passing Savanna's Act that requires law enforcement to develop more effective methods to address missing and murdered Native Americans. Through my role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have worked to advance the goals of my SURVIVE Act by dedicating funding from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) for tribes to provide services to victims of violence.
Source: 2021 N.D. Senate campaign website hoeven.senate.gov Jun 24, 2021

Patrick Leahy: Worked to reverse some of mandatory minimum sentences

Leahy often points to his service as Chittenden County State's Attorney as his guidepost for his legislative initiatives on the Judiciary Committee. He champions the needs of crime and domestic violence victims. He co-authored the Bulletproof Vest grant program which has helped purchase 4,400 life-saving vests for local law enforcement officers throughout Vermont since 1999. He supports state and local law enforcement through Community Oriented Policing Services and Homeland Security grants.

Leahy knows the criminal sentencing system needs repair to restore fairness and reduce overcrowding in prisons. He joined a group of bipartisan senators on sentencing reform legislation that will reverse some of the misguided mandatory minimums passed during the "War on Drugs" in the 1980s and 1990s.

Source: 2021 Vermont Senate campaign website LeahyForVermont.com Jun 22, 2021

Everett Stern: Calls to defund the police is open invitation for anarchy

Calls to "Defund The Police" are an open invitation for anarchy. Our police are overburdened with responsibilities that are not germane to their mission in society, such as, dealing with marital disputes and the mentally ill. These situations are the domain of social workers. The core mission of the police is to protect citizens from criminals. Rather than "Defund The Police", we need to fund trained specialists. This will allow the police to focus on the job they are suppose
Source: 2021 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website EverettStern.com Jun 20, 2021

Bernie Moreno: We need to restore respect for law and order in this country

We need to ensure that hard-left judges cannot wash away hard-fought victories. That means confirming strong, principled jurists to the bench. We need to restore respect for law and order in this country, and respect for those who work every day to protect us.
Source: 2021 Ohio Senate campaign website BernieMoreno.com Apr 19, 2021

Malcolm Kenyatta: Must address systemic issue of mass incarceration

Mass incarceration is a systemic issue that can no longer go unaddressed. The recidivism rates in Pennsylvania can be reversed with help from bills such as the "Fighting Chance Act," that Representative Kenyatta and a colleague from across the aisle proposed.
Source: 2021 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website MalcolmForPA.com Mar 4, 2021

  • The above quotations are from Survey of 2021-2022 Senate campaign websites.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Crime.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Bernie Moreno on Crime.
  • Click here for more quotes by Jane Timken on Crime.
Candidates and political leaders on Crime:

Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Nov 17, 2021