FILE - Greg Totten, a representative of Californians for Safer Communities, speaks at a press conference about a ballot initiative to bring back penalties for shoplifting and drug offenses on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. The tough-on-crime initiative could play a key role in a handful of contested U.S. House races that would help determine control of Congress.
“This ballot measure may literally have an impact on who controls the U.S. House of Representatives in the next two years,” Republican consultant Rob Stutzman said. “The Democrats are concerned, and the Republicans are hopeful, that it will skew turnout to be a little bit more conservative.” It’s hard to quantify the retail theft issue in California due to the lack of local data. But many point to major store closures and daily products such as toothpaste being locked behind Plexiglass as evidence of a crisis.The campaign committee representing House Republicans has attacked Democratic candidates in those swing districts, depicting them as indifferent to concerns over smash-and-grab robberies, auto break-ins and safe streets.