President Trump and his party are using a playbook that aims to alarm people about crime in their backyards. It didn’t work in 2018, but both parties think it could resonate more this year.
By the time Republicans were done with Sharice Davids in 2018, she barely recognized herself. In ads that blanketed her suburban Kansas City district during her congressional race, she was portrayed as “the candidate of the liberal mob,” an enemy of the police, a threat to children, and an ally of “radical left-wing protesters.”
As flabbergasted as she was by the strategy then, she said she was surprised Republicans were at it again, only this time in the presidential election.
“It didn’t work last time,” said Ms. Davids, who won her race by 10 points and is favored to be re-elected to a second term in November. As a former mixed martial arts fighter who learned the importance of developing new techniques in combat, she said her opponents’ attacks seem stale. “I haven’t seen any evolution. The skill set looks the same.” Continue reading.