"If you want to know how much Abigail Spanberger will value Virginians' safety, look at her record: she backed reducing penalties for violent crime in DC—a bill so extreme even radical liberal Joe Biden rejected it," Peyton Vogel, press secretary for Spanberger's Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, told The Daily Signal in a statement Tuesday. "Virginians know exactly what ‘safety' would look like under Spanberger: none at all."

The Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021, which the DC Council unanimously passed in November 2022, would have rewritten the entire DC code, eliminating all mandatory minimum sentences except for first-degree murder and reducing the maximum sentences for many violent crimes. Critics focused on the lax approach to carjacking, in particular. While Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the bill, the council overrode her veto.

Bipartisan Opposition

In February 2023, the House voted to pass a resolution striking down the bill, 250-173. Thirty-one Democrats joined the Republican majority to oppose it. The Senate vote proved even more lopsided: 81-14. Thirty-one Democrats joined Republicans in voting against it, as did two Independents who caucus with Democrats. Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, voted to kill the bill.

Even Biden—who would go on to issue thousands of prison commutations after encouraging federal prisoners to ask for clemency—opposed the bill, signing into law the congressional resolution against it.

"I support DC Statehood and home-rule—but I don't support some of the changes DC Council put forward over the Mayor's objections—such as lowering penalties for carjackings," the president posted on Twitter. "If the Senate votes to overturn what DC Council did—I'll sign it."

Spanberger, however, voted the other way.

Spanberger's Rationale

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, condemned the bill as "one of the most extreme criminal-first, victim-last measures we've seen across the nation." He said legislation like this "has led to a crime explosion and tragically an explosion of more victims," and warned that DC crime spills over into the northern parts of Virginia.

Spanberger's office laid out a justification for the congresswoman's vote in responding to Miyares.

"Rep. Spanberger also believes there is a high bar for elected officials from Virginia or any other state to intervene in Washington, DCs local affairs, and as DCs local code change would have increased maximum penalties for horrific crimes like attempted sexual assault, attempted murder, and assaulting a police officer, Rep. Spanberger did not vote to interfere," a spokesperson told the ABC News affiliate 7News in a statement.

Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, called Spanberger's response "disingenuous."

"Even if the maximum sentences were going to be increased, under the sentencing guidelines and the sentencing practices of the local DC judges, it would be basically impossible to get the maximum sentence for most crimes," he told The Daily Signal.

As for local control in DC, Smith noted that it's an "anomaly."

"The Constitution is clear that Congress has the final say, has final authority over what happens in the District of Columbia and the home rule system that's set up now is a relatively recent invention of the 1970s," he explained. Congress has often exercised more direct rule, as the Founders envisioned when they set up a federal district to protect the safety of Congress.

As for the DC crime bill, Smith noted that "other Democrats said this was too far. Joe Biden said this was too far, and Joe Biden pardoned how many criminals at the end of his term?"

"So, if Joe Biden is saying this is too radical, that should really send a message," he added.

Police Support for Spanberger

Spanberger's campaign did not respond to The Daily Signal's request for comment, but it has touted law enforcement support.

The national Fraternal Order of Police presented her with an award for her leadership on the Social Security Fairness Act, which secured benefits for Virginia's retired police officers, among others. The Virginia Police Benevolent Association endorsed her campaign in August.

Yet the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police and the association both called on Jay Jones, the Democrat candidate for attorney general, to step down after Jones admitted to fantasizing about shooting his political opponent. When asked about his wish that the children of his political opponent would die, he said, "Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy."

Jones said he regrets the messages and has apologized for them, but he has not dropped out of the race. Spanberger has condemned the remarks but has not called for Jones to drop out.

Neither the Fraternal Order of Police nor the Virginia Police Benevolent Association responded to The Daily Signal's request for comment about Spanberger's support for the DC crime bill. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Tyler O'Neil is senior editor at The Daily Signal and the author of two books: "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center," and "The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government."

Related posts:

1. Obama's Last-Minute Rally for Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger as Earle-Sears Closes Gap
2. Who Is the Real Abigail Spanberger? Winsome Earle-Sears' Campaign Says It Knows
3. Poll Shows Earle-Sears Closing Gap With Spanberger in Virginia

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

FDA Recalls More Than 6 Million Eggs Potentially Contaminated With Salmonella

[Watch] Conor McGregor Blows the Lid Off Ireland's Immigration Nightmare

Chaos Erupts in Dublin after 10-Year-Old Girl in State Care Allegedly Raped by African Migrant

Spanberger Voted to Protect Radical DC Crime Bill Even Biden Opposed: VA's Important Race for Governor

Texas Investigates Over 2,700 Potential Illegal Immigrants on Voter Rolls

State Judge Upholds North Dakota Law Protecting Minors from Gender Transition Procedures

Media Are Misrepresenting New Pentagon Press Policy They're Protesting; Here's the Reality

Rare Earths Stocks Surge as Trump-Australia Deal Cuts China Dependence

Gas Prices Drop to Near $3 Mark for First Time in Years

Prayer Alert: 30+ Christians Beheaded in Mozambique as Radical Islamic Terrorism Runs Rampant in Parts of Africa

When Politics Turns to Bullets: JD Vance's Brother's Church Targeted in Cincinnati

Teens Who Attacked DOGE Staffer Now Face Federal Charges

Dan Bongino Reveals the Untold Story Behind Trump's Crime Crackdown [WATCH]

Former Nuclear Scientist for US Dept of Energy Calls Out NC 'No Kings' Protesters; Here's Why...

EPA Fears Loss of Critical Function if Dem's Government Shutdown Continues

Vance, Witkoff, Kushner in Israel to Advance Trump Gaza Deal as Hamas is Warned: Comply or 'Be Eradicated'

9th Circuit Court Rules on Trump's National Guard Deployment in Portland: 'President Lawfully Exercised His Statutory Authority'

What Would New York City Look Like Under Mamdani? Take a Look at London for Starters

Hacker Group Doxxes Hundreds of Federal Employees

How Letitia James' Fake Marriage to Her Dad Sparked a Lifetime of Mortgage Fraud