NRCC Targets Vulnerable Democrats for Soft-on-Crime Stance

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced a “nationwide billboard campaign” on Wednesday, targeting three vulnerable House Democrats for voting in support of reduced penalties for violent crimes.

The NRCC is specifically targeting Democrat Reps. Abigail Spanberger (VA), Gabe Vasquez (NM), and Susan Wild (PA) for voting to support reduced penalties for violent crimes. This comes after they voted in February against a disapproval resolution that would overturn Washington, DC’s, soft-on-crime criminal code revision.

“Crime is surging in these vulnerable Democrats’ backyards, and they are signaling they don’t care,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said. “A slap on the wrist for violent criminals is too extreme even for President Biden, but not extreme enough for these Democrats.”

The billboard campaign announcement comes as the Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are conducted a hearing on Washington, DC’s, public safety crisis, “including crime, safety, and city management,” after the city has faced rising crime and the city council tried to reduce punishments for a variety of serious criminal offenses and allow misdemeanor cases to be tried by a jury.

This past year, despite the rampant crime, the district’s council voted on the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, which reduces punishments for a variety of serious criminal offenses and allows misdemeanor cases to be tried by a jury. The legislation passed through D.C.’s city council after they overrode Bowser’s veto.

However, Congress can override local D.C. laws through a rarely used resolution of disapproval.  Republican-led disapproval resolution swiftly passed the House of Representatives and the Senate before making it to President Joe Biden’s desk. Alienating some lawmakers from his party, the president signed the resolution to overturn D.C.’s legislation revising its criminal code.

In fact, following the successful resolution of disapproval, the city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser (D), is looking to disband the city’s commission that helped create the soft-on-crime criminal code revision. She defunded the commission in her fiscal 2024 proposed budget after claiming its intended purpose was fulfilled, even though the changes never came to fruition.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.