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It’s early in the 2024 election cycle but not too early, obviously, for a blitz of attack ads and messaging on crime. GOP operatives are out this week attacking potentially vulnerable House Democrats who voted against a disapproval resolution to nullify D.C.’s controversial criminal code measure. That House vote on Feb. 9 came before most Senate Democrats joined with congressional Republicans in a rare show of bipartisanship to overturn the local law on Wednesday. President Joe Biden initially opposed the GOP resolution but then reversed and said he was on board, angering some House D’s over the whole situation.
Senate GOP operatives weren’t left with much to work with, since every Democrat in the chamber with a real race in ’24 voted for the resolution overturning the measure, which would have reduced certain criminal penalties, including for carjackings. But Texas Rep. Colin Allred, who is eyeing a challenge to GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, was among the 173 House Democrats who voted against the resolution. “Colin Allred’s support for D.C.’s radical pro-crime law will be a major issue for him if he decides to run statewide,” said Mike Berg, spokesman for the NRSC. Allred’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
