Local and State organizations representing Law Enforcement are often difficult to pin down when examining how they award endorsements for candidates in Federal Elections. In many years, police organizations abstain from endorsing candidates altogether. In some cases, the unions tend to endorse in accordance with their state’s general political leanings.
However, this year presents a unique situation where outright Anti-Law Enforcement sentiment is being leveraged and espoused by politicians along party lines. This has sent many endorsements away from Democratic candidates and towards their Republican competitors. New York City and State effectively represent this current trend, as New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association & New York City’s Police Benevolent Association have both made historic endorsements of President Donald Trump’s 2020 Re-Election Campaign.
Still, it is often far more difficult to discern endorsements for Congressional candidates, especially regarding candidates for the US Senate.
Police Unions and Organizations have not necessarily endorsed Senate Candidates on a partisan basis. When looking at previous election years, this is supported by Senate endorsements in various locations across the country.
In 2018, for instance, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez received the endorsement of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association & The Fraternal Order of Police. Menendez’s platform did not explicitly politicize the current state of law enforcement other than to say, he supported “Reforming our criminal justice system as a cosponsor of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act.” New Jersey often votes Democrat in their national elections.
However, one state that has traditionally voted Democrat in the Presidential elections is Massachusetts. Despite the state leaning heavily to the left in most Congressional Elections, one Senatorial Candidate was able to land the endorsement of The Massachusetts Police Association in 2018. Republican State Rep., Geoff Diehl, won the endorsement over incumbent Democratic Senator, Elizabeth Warren.
In many ways, this election, especially being in Massachusetts, marked Police organizations pushing back against the accusations being made at Law Enforcement by Democratic Candidates. Masslive pointed out the stark difference between the two: “Diehl also criticized Warren’s recent remarks saying the American criminal justice system is “racist … front to back.” Diehl, of course, couldn’t have disagreed more.
As reported by IdeaStream.org, the same scenario played out in Cleveland Ohio, where Republican Candidate, Josh Mandel was endorsed over the incumbent Democrat, Senator Sherrod Brown:
“The union president Steve Loomis announced the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association leadership had voted to endorse Mandel over incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown (D). Loomis said Brown is “stale” and does not support law enforcement.
“…rambles on about Black Lives Matter and false narratives and that’s just completely unacceptable,” said Loomis.”
So how are Senator’s being endorsed by Police Organizations in 2020? The evidence that is available suggests that those organizations who do explicitly endorse a political candidate are moving more and more towards the right. The Las Vegas Police Protective Association, for instance, has essentially come out in support of all Republican Candidates in the Federal Congressional Elections. While endorsees for Senate are note noted at the time of the release, it is not a stretch to imagine they will eventually be added to the list.
Fortunes have dramatically changed for New Jersey politicians looking for support of Law Enforcement organizations, as well, Mike Davis, from The Asbury Park Press reported: “The state’s largest police union has exclusively endorsed Republican candidates for office, including President Donald Trump and Republican challengers in hotly contested congressional seats.” This decision was also made in the face of Anti-Law Enforcement rhetoric sweeping our country, as noted by Congressional challengers running against incumbent Congress people of New Jersey”
“At a time when Democrats are calling to defund the very men and women who keep our communities safe, our campaign has chosen instead to stand beside them and make our support for men and women in blue very clear,” said David Richter, a business executive running against U.S. Rep. Andy Kim.”
Still, a Senatorial Candidate was not explicitly endorsed at the time of the report in New Jersey either, also as in the case of Las Vegas, it appears that candidates will likely A) Not be Endorsed at all, or B) A Republican challenger would receive the honor.
These are just a few snapshots into the trends behind the Senate and Congressional endorsements of Police Organizations throughout the United States. While investigating previous elections it appeared that these endorsements were often done on a bi-partisan level. However, as the portrayal of Law Enforcement across the United States has increasingly taken on a partisan slant, the endorsements are seemingly following suit. In general, sorting out the endorsements is difficult because traditionally the political endorsement by a Law Enforcement agency has been viewed by many in the public to be inappropriate. As those on the left increasingly villainize the majority of Law Enforcement Officers for the sins of a few, it appears these organizations will be increasingly siding with the candidates who justly humanize them in the face of Anti-Police Hysteria.
There is such a concept as information overload. And when it comes to the forthcoming 2020 election, information overload is a real problem. How does information overload hurt us? Read more here.
