Democratic strategist Jim Kessler issued a stark warning Wednesday to Democrats as left-wing candidates face backlash from voters.
Kessler pointed to recent political upheavals in New York, San Francisco and Minnesota as a warning sign for left-wing Democrats nationwide. “If national Democrats don’t wake up to what happened to progressives in NY, MN and SF this cycle prepare yourselves for permanent minority status,” Kessler tweeted.
If national Democrats don’t wake up to what happened to progressives in NY, MN and SF this cycle prepare yourselves for permanent minority status.
— Jim Kessler (@ThirdWayKessler) June 8, 2022
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled Tuesday after he faced widespread criticism for what his opponents called a “soft-on-crime” approach. Boudin, elected in 2019, faced a recall campaign that was launched in 2021 and led by former San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee chair Mary Jung. (RELATED: Joe Scarborough Calls Out Left-Wing District Attorneys For Ignoring ‘Quality Of Life’ Issues)
Boudin was accused of failing to prosecute burglars, car thieves and murderers and releasing repeat offenders from jail who went on to commit additional crimes. Polls show Boudin received a higher disapproval rating among Asian-Americans and the Hispanic community.
Meanwhile, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has also faced criticism for his “soft on crime” approach. Following immense public backlash amid a rise in violent crimes, Bragg scrapped two policies in February. Bragg said commercial robberies committed with a gun “will be charged as a felony” regardless of if the gun “is operable, loaded, or a realistic imitation.” Robberies committed with other weapons will also be charged as a felony. Prior to the changes, Bragg’s initial memo said armed robberies would be treated as petty larceny, a misdemeanor, if no victim was seriously injured.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar faces a primary from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels in August. Omar is a left-wing Democrat who has been outspoken about the “defund the police” movement. But a November referendum that Omar supported that would replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety was voted down, with 56% of voters opposing the measure. Samuels was vehemently opposed to the proposition, according to WCCO.
“[Omar] has been more divisive than collaborative, more contrarian than cooperative and many times has stalked out contrarian position from the Democratic Party and from the interests from the community,” Samuels said in an interview with WCCO.