We fact-check Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ claims in two public appearances announcing his 2024 presidential candidacy.
FactChecking Ron DeSantis’ Presidential Announcement
Issues: crime
Biden’s Numbers, April Update
A quarterly update of statistical measures of the president’s time in office.
The Facts on Manhattan Crime
The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a “field hearing” in Manhattan on April 17 to draw attention to “how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime.” Experts told us it was unlikely Bragg had or could have an impact on crime trends, and crime data for Manhattan don’t match the GOP narrative.
Biden’s Numbers, January 2023 Update
Here’s how the United States has fared since President Joe Biden took office two years ago.
Major Themes of the Midterms
Voters are about to get a respite from the political attack-ad onslaught: Election Day is tomorrow. That means no more messages from Democrats attacking Republicans over abortion rights or the future of Medicare; no more Republicans blaming Democrats for inflation or crime. At least for a little while.
Super PAC Ads Distort New York Congressional Candidate’s ‘Help Not Handcuffs’ Quote
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, is running ads on TV and social media that distort Democratic House candidate Josh Riley’s positions on crime. One ad misleadingly claims that the New York Democrat said he “supports help not handcuffs” for criminals, and another misleadingly implies he supports defunding the police.
Johnson Ad Omits Barnes’ Condemnation of Attack on Police
In the Wisconsin Senate race, an ad from Republican Sen. Ron Johnson selectively pulls comments made by his opponent, Democrat Mandela Barnes, from an interview days after a deadly attack on police in Dallas. The ad claims Barnes “rationalized violence” against police, but it ignores that Barnes said the killings were “not justified in any way” and that he “denounced” the attack.
Fetterman Ad Pushes Back on Crime
A sheriff featured in an ad defending U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman accurately states that Fetterman “voted with law enforcement experts nearly 90% of the time” on the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, and voted to give “a second chance” to nonviolent offenders. But it’s what the ad doesn’t say that may mislead viewers.
Everytown’s Misleading Ad on Johnson’s Votes ‘Against Funding for the Police’
A TV ad from a gun control advocacy group claims Republican Sen. Ron Johnson voted “against funding for the police, preventing local departments from hiring more officers.” But the two votes cited were against trillion-dollar spending bills that included a host of measures, well beyond law enforcement funding.
Herschel Walker Cites Outdated Crime Figures in False Attack on Raphael Warnock
Since Democrat Raphael Warnock of Georgia has been in the U.S. Senate, homicides and rapes in Atlanta have not increased by nearly as much as Republican Herschel Walker said in a Fox News interview.