Vance Hammers Soft-on-Crime Democrats While Stumping in Texas for Paxton

Vice President JD Vance isn’t pulling punches. Speaking from Tyler, Texas, after a campaign rally that drew thousands, he made it clear what he thinks about Democratic crime policy. They’ve lost their minds, he says, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with him when you look at what’s happening in places like Minnesota.

The vice president sat down for an exclusive interview and didn’t waste time getting to the heart of the matter. When asked about the recent Somali gang violence that’s been tearing through Minnesota, including a horrific 100-shot gun battle that left law enforcement scrambling, Vance connected the dots in a way that’ll make Democrats squirm. “If you elect Democrats, you’re fundamentally electing people who will invite criminals into your state, into your communities and make your communities less safe,” he said. Blunt? Sure. But sometimes the truth needs to sound that way.

Minnesota used to be reliably blue. Now Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is fighting tooth and nail against Republican Michele Tafoya for a U.S. Senate seat, and the race is tighter than anyone expected. That shift tells you something. When families don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods, political allegiances start to crack.

Vance framed the choice facing voters in simple terms. “If you elect Republicans, you may not agree with us on everything, but we agree on some basic principles,” he explained. “Like, for example, everybody should be safe. Everybody should be secure in their communities, and we don’t want to let violent criminals come into our country.” You know what? That shouldn’t be a controversial statement. The fact that it apparently is tells you everything about where the Democratic Party has gone.

The vice president was in Tyler, about 100 miles east of Dallas, to rally support for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton’s locked in his own tough Senate race against Democrat state Rep. James Talarico, and the numbers show this one could go either way. Texas turning competitive in a Senate race would’ve been unthinkable a decade ago, but here we are.

Vance didn’t hold back on Talarico either. The Democratic candidate recently went dark for two weeks during October, which any campaign strategist will tell you is political malpractice. October is when you’re supposed to be everywhere, shaking every hand, kissing every baby, making your case to every undecided voter you can find. “How old is he? Thirty-five? Forty?” Vance wondered aloud. “You’ve got to have the energy to do the job, and taking two weeks off the campaign in October, that’s the meat of the campaign, I just think it’s a very, very bizarre thing.”

The vice president added he hopes Talarico’s health is fine, which is the kind of thing you say when you’re being polite but also making a point. Texans need to ask themselves if their senator has the stamina for the job. It’s a fair question, even if Democrats don’t want to answer it.

Talarico has been demanding a debate with Paxton, who hasn’t exactly rushed to accept. President Trump weighed in on Truth Social, saying Paxton is “ready, willing, and able” to debate. But Vance took a more measured approach when asked about it. “That’s ultimately something Ken Paxton and James Talarico are going to decide,” he said, letting the campaigns work it out themselves. Smart politics. Sometimes you don’t need to insert yourself into every tactical decision.

The bigger picture here is what Republicans are facing nationally. Costs are crushing American families. Inflation might be cooling on paper, but people still can’t afford groceries the way they could four years ago. The GOP faces an uphill climb in November’s midterms, and they know it. So Vance is making the case that sure, things might be tough economically, but Democrats would make everything worse, especially on issues like public safety that hit home in a visceral way.

It’s a compelling argument when you’ve got gang violence exploding in Minnesota and progressive prosecutors letting criminals walk in cities across America. Republicans are betting that voters care more about their physical safety than they do about whatever promises Democrats are making this cycle. We’ll find out in November if they’re right.

Related: Ed Markey’s Internship Post Proves Democrats Still Don’t Understand What They’re Doing Wrong