Emmer, the third-highest-ranking House Republican, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a recent interview that he expects law-and-order issues to dominate the midterms, labeling crime the number one issue on voters’ minds. The majority whip argues that the Democratic Party’s repeated failure to address crime despite voters’ widespread concern about safety is likely to hurt the party’s chances of retaking the House in 2026.
Emmer referenced an August AP-NORC survey that found 81% of Americans — including 68% of Democrats and 96% of Republicans — view crime as a “major problem” in large cities. A majority of voters also approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of crime, according to the poll.
“When one party offers you safety and security and the other one offers you more crime and chaos — which one do you think you’re going to pick when you go into the ballot box?” Emmer told the DCNF. “The answer is clear. It will be reflected big time in the midterms next year.”
Emmer spoke to the DCNF in the wake of the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska who sought safety in the United States from the war in Ukraine. The 23-year-old woman was brutally murdered by repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, on a Charlotte light rail train on Aug. 22.
Emmer and other GOP leaders have hammered Democrats for supporting soft-on-crime policies that allowed repeat offenders like Brown to roam free despite countless previous arrests and history of mental illness. Brown had been previously arrested 14 times in North Carolina and was out on cashless bail when he murdered Zarutska.