AMAC Exclusive – By Andrew Shirley
While the prevailing mainstream narrative following the off-year elections earlier this month has been one of an overwhelming Democrat victory, several under-the-radar but nonetheless shocking defeats for radical anti-law and order liberal officeholders throughout the country suggests that Democrats could be far more vulnerable, particularly when it comes to issues of policing and upholding law and order, than the media is letting on.
What should be perhaps the most troubling result for the left-wing criminal justice “reform” movement came in Loudoun County, Virginia, where Republican Bob Anderson ousted incumbent District Attorney Buta Biberaj. Despite the county going for Joe Biden over Donald Trump by a margin of 61.5 percent to 36.5 percent in 2020 and for Democrat Terry McAuliffe over Glenn Youngkin by a margin of 55.3 percent to 44.2 percent in 2021, Anderson edged out Biberaj by exactly 300 votes in an otherwise disappointing night for Virginia Republicans.
Biberaj’s loss is also notable because she is one of a growing number of radical left-wing district attorneys backed by liberal megadonor George Soros who have been fired by voters in deep-blue areas in recent months. In 2019, Biberaj’s campaign accepted more than $800,000 from groups linked to Soros (an eye-watering sum for a local prosecutor race considering most candidates fail to raise more than $100,000) and she was heavily funded by Soros-backed entities and other liberal groups this time around as well.
However, voters were clearly fed up. Biberaj had racked up a number of scandals throughout her tenure, including her active participation in a secret Facebook group that plotted to intimidate and harass parents who spoke out at school board meetings. Biberaj also earned the ire of her community when she weaponized her office against Scott Smith, the father of a girl who was raped in a Loudoun County high school. (Biberaj infamously declined to prosecute the rapist until he sexually assaulted another girl.) A judge later booted Biberaj from Smith’s case, citing concerns about impartiality.
Another shocking upset came in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Earlier this year, six-time incumbent Democrat DA Stephen Zappala, a relative moderate compared to Soros-backed prosecutors like Biberaj, lost in a primary to far-left candidate Matt Dugan. Dugan is a former public defender who, according to the Washington Examiner, “advocated eliminating cash bail, lowering incarceration rates, and looking for ways other than criminal convictions to address nonviolent crimes often driven by addiction and mental illness.”
Despite the loss, Zappala remained undaunted. Seeing that no Republican had filed to run, Zappala launched a write-in campaign and earned the GOP nomination. Despite Democrats outnumbering Republicans two to one in the county, Zappala managed to win back his seat and defeat Duggan.
Zappala’s victory, while not exactly an outright win for conservatives, was nonetheless a sign that a coalition of disaffected Democrats, Independents, and Republicans can hold the line against the advances of the left’s extreme criminal justice “reform” agenda.
In New York, which has been hit particularly hard by the nationwide crime crisis, both inside and outside of New York City, Republicans saw a string of historic successes.
In Broome County, which went for Biden 50.7 percent to 47.2 percent in 2020, Republican Paul Battisti defeated Democrat Matt Ryan.
In Suffolk County, situated on the eastern end of Long Island, Edward Romaine became the first Republican elected County Executive in 20 years.
In the Bronx – where Biden won 83 percent of the vote in 2020 – voters picked Republican Kirsty Marmorato over incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velazquez for city council.
New Yorkers also elected Carmella Mantello to be the first Republican mayor of Troy, a city of 50,000 located just outside Albany, in 30 years. In neighboring Saratoga Springs, John Stafford ousted incumbent Democrat Ron Kim to become the first GOP mayor in a decade. Both cities have crime rates significantly above both the national and state average.
These results on Election Day are a continuation of a trend seen since 2020. Biberaj became at least the 13th Soros-backed prosecutor to lose, quit, or be recalled since March of last year. Even Joe Biden – who ironically played a pivotal role in exacerbating the crime crisis in the first place – has warned Democrats that they have to get tougher on crime or face an electoral wipeout.
However, it remains unclear if many Democrats are willing to heed that warning. As the race in Allegheny County suggests, any Democrat who breaks with the far left’s vision for “reimagining” the criminal justice system faces the threat of a well-financed primary challenger.
If Republicans can continue to capitalize on this vulnerability and make the case for why and how conservative leadership will restore law and order, Democrats up and down the ballot could be in for a reckoning in 2024.
Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.
The media misses everything of significance because they are a part of the immoral,corrupt, racist, divisive marxist democrat party!
These are America’s enemies from within.
THROW THEM OUT
Count on the GOP snatching defeat from the jaws of victory…
From deep sleep to slow awakening Do we dare to hope that there is a chance providing Dominion is dismantled and no boxes stuffed with ballots are brought in after the closing time
This and other mid-term election outcomes show that while we can’t compromise with the Left, we do need to compromise with the “middle”. Conservatives only make up roughly one-third of the population — you can’t win with just one-third of the votes.
I know it’s hard to compromise on tough issues like abortion or the budget — but the alternative is worse. We need to learn to walk the line, just enough compromise to win elections and no more. Too many in the party are obstinately against any compromise and too many others (RINOs) are far too eager to compromise with the Left. We need a middle ground within the party.
The real world is ugly, we need to face the fact that we won’t get everything we want. Get what we can and work on changing voters’ minds on the rest. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but even in a marathon you have to be in the running and losing winnable elections isn’t how you do that.
Thank goodness some people some of the time find out the truth and vote with their heads.
the call in democrat controlled areas, I believe, should be stop the crime wave against all Americans vote out all democrats.
People want to be safe and the idea that we can do it better with less police and more social workers is not reality. There are a lot of bad people out there and they have little conscience and no regret if they hurt other people. The liberals are hyocrites, why else would the elites have body guards and live in gated communities
Not to worry: When the Chinese invade, they’ll straighten them out! By lining them all against the same wall they have us stand next to.
So long as cities like Minneapolis receive major funding for ‘social programs’, liberal politics WILL rule until socialism reigns and the American taxpayers are ALL poor, (except, of course, for the ‘ruling class’ and their body guards). Unions everywhere will help them largely because many union members are brain dead zombies.
As a bystander from the UK it is quite puzzling to see republicans describe democrats as marxists or communists. Joe Biden is barely even a socialist as we would understand it in Europe. It is also perplexing to see so many people who claim to be patriots with strong family and religious values supporting a draft-dodging womaniser from an “elite” family who only found his faith when he thought it would win him some votes. What’s the attraction?
2020: ha
2022:ha
2023: ha
2024:ha
In the second paragraph, Biden over Trump “by a margin of 61.5 percent to 36.5 percent” is bogus. The margin of victory was NOT 61 to 36. The margin of victory was 25 percent.
Also in the second paragraph, McAuliffe over Youngkin “by a margin of 55.3 percent to 44.2” is bogus. The margin of victory was NOT 55 to 44. The margin of victory was 11 percent.
Journalists should know the meaning of words used in an article. And, where was the editor when this article was approved?
The Lamestream media once again protecting their Communist Comrades.
Where has the discussion, debate gone between groups? To ” agree to disagree ” ?It’s also deciding with honest truth, not dependent upon only one answer,looking at evidence,trends and by what you can learn by listening. I remain positive, although with some days that have little slivers of uncertainty. Find ways to help others in anyway you can, volunteering, donating your time and of course money is a great way to be a much-needed presence. Kindness goes a long way to help another and to give yourself a “Pat on the back”. We all appreciate that,and in the times where it seems everything and everyone is mad.
If Republican candidates don’t play up the Pro-Criminal Democratic stance as well as pointing out the failures of “Bidenomics” and especially the amount of ILLEGALS that have entered then they are stupid and will lose again!