The Sconi

Amid a rise in crime over the last three years, a recent Marquette University poll finds many Wisconsinites rank the issue as one of their top concerns today. A Senate Opportunity Fund poll found that most Americans blame Democratic policies for the crime problem. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is the Democratic candidate in the upcoming Senate race, has a long history of criticizing police, which has left him with few Wisconsin law enforcement allies, the Free Beacon reports.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, only two of Wisconsin's 72 sheriffs have endorsed Barnes despite his efforts to distance himself from the "defund the police" movement which he has been linked to for years. Barnes's opponent, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, currently has support from 51 of Wisconsin's sheriffs – including several Democrats and Independents.

Barnes's attempt to distance himself from controversial policies dates back to February of this year when his spokeswoman Maddy McDaniel said, "The lieutenant governor does not support defunding the police." However, records show the Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate raked in nearly $30,000 from a far-left joint-fundraising committee steered by leaders in the "defund the police" and "abolish ICE" movements, the Free Beacon reports.

Barnes can be seen holding up an "Abolish ICE" t-shirt in a Reddit post from 2018. The shirt calls for the eradication of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"Senate candidate Mandela Barnes’s history of being soft on crime as Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor could prove a defining factor in a close race against incumbent Ron Johnson," National Review said on Twitter.

According to the most recent Senate Opportunity Fund poll results, 58% of Americans agree with the statement, “Democrats' soft-on-crime policies, like refusing to prosecute crimes and supporting cashless bail, have made American cities unsafe.” The poll took place Sept. 12-15 and surveyed 1,600 general election voters nationally.

A September Marquette University poll shows 61% of Wisconsin voters said they are "very concerned" about crime, representing the second highest concern after inflation. The poll also showed that among likely voters, Johnson is supported by 49%, while Barnes is supported by 48%.

Back in April, the Washington Free Beacon noted Barnes was positioning himself as an advocate for law enforcement in his effort to gain votes in the Senate race. However, his history proves otherwise as he sits on a state criminal justice advisory board, called the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s racial equity committee, that is investigating ways to eliminate prisons and promote "alternatives to incarceration."

Data from the Department of Justice shows Wisconsin has seen a rise in violent crime such as homicide and assault since the start of the pandemic. PBS Wisconsin reports Milwaukee has taken the brunt of Wisconsin's rise in crime rates. In 2020, the major city set a record for its highest number of homicides in one year: 190. The record was broken again in 2021 when the homicide count reached 197. Now, with 160 homicides recorded by the end of August 2022, the city is on track to break that record again.