Crime will make this the summer of Democrats’ discontent.

They are already vulnerable on this issue, but a confluence of factors will likely worsen matters as the summer progresses. The political impact will be bad, but its timing — just months before the election — makes it all the more so.

Crime has surged as a serious issue for Americans. Gallup polling late last year found 63 percent of Americans describing crime as “either extremely or very serious.” That’s a huge jump from Gallup’s 54 percent finding in 2021 and exceeds previous highs of 60 percent from 2000, 2010, and 2016.

And Americans see crime getting worse. “More than three-quarters of Americans, 77 percent, believe there is more crime in the U.S. than a year ago," Gallup notes, "and a majority, 55 percent, say the same about crime in their local area.”

As bad as this public perception is, those holding it most strongly heighten its political impact.

Republicans, Democrats’ primary political opposition, overwhelmingly (78 percent) see crime as a serious U.S. problem. Seventy-four percent see it getting worse locally and 92 percent see it getting worse nationally.

Independents, Democrats’ primary political targets for persuasion, see crime only slightly less pessimistically: 60 percent see it as a serious U.S. problem, 53 percent see it getting worse locally and 78 percent see it getting worse nationally.

With findings like these, it’s no wonder........

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