We can’t decide if this is a new communications failure by the GOP or an aberration in the data, but a new poll by Rasmussen Reports has bizarrely found Democrats, the party of “defund the police” and “abolish prisons” are now running neck-and-neck with Republicans, the party of law and order, on crime and law enforcement issues.
Forty-four percent (44%) of voters trust Republicans more to handle crime and law enforcement issues, while 44% trust Democrats more, and 12% are not sure. The current tie between the two parties on this question represents a significant gain for Democrats, who trailed the GOP on the crime issue by five points (45% to 40%) in February. As recently as last October, Republicans led Democrats by a nine-point margin, 48% to 39%, on the crime issue.
Most voters say crime will be an important issue in this fall’s midterm election, and the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 81% of Likely U.S. Voters say that, in terms of how they will vote in the next congressional election, crime is an important issue, including 50% who consider it Very Important. Only 12% don’t think crime will be an important issue in how they vote in the midterms.
Among those who say the crime issue will be Very Important in terms of how they will vote in the next congressional election, Rasmussen found 52% trust Republicans more to handle the issue.
Eighty-four percent (84%) of Democrats trust their own party more to handle crime and law enforcement issues, while 85% of Republicans trust the GOP more. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, 41% trust Republicans more and 36% trust Democrats more to handle crime and law enforcement issues, while 24% are not sure.
Significantly more men (51%) than women voters (37%) trust Republicans more to handle crime and law enforcement issues. Women voters are more likely to say the issue of crime will be Very Important in terms of how they will vote in the midterms.
Republicans are more trusted to handle crime and law enforcement issues by 50% of whites, 24% of black voters, 44% of Hispanics and 28% of other minorities. Democrats are more trusted on this issue by 40% of whites, 63% of black voters, 44% of Hispanics and 47% of other minorities.
Breaking down the electorate by income categories, voters earning less than $30,000 a year are most likely to say the crime issue will be Very Important in terms of how they will vote in the next congressional election. Those with annual incomes between $50,000 and $200,000 are most likely to trust Republicans to handle crime and law enforcement issues.
Among voters who say America is going in the right direction, 79% trust Republicans more to handle crime and law enforcement issues, while Democrats are more trusted by 59% of those who say the country is on the wrong track.
The survey of 1,222 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on August 2-4, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. To see survey question wording, click here.
