.By Daniela Altimari, Niels Lesniewski and Mary Ellen McIntire

“Law and order” themes have been a staple of Republican politics since Richard Nixon introduced the term during the tumultuous presidential campaign of 1968.

The 2026 midterms are no different, with Republicans already campaigning on the issue. “Radical House Democrats will always side with their soft-on-crime, far-left base over safer communities,” Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement after House votes on GOP-led measures to address crime in Washington, D.C.

As our colleague Justin Papp reports , the House on Tuesday advanced legislation making it easier to impose stricter penalties on youth offenders, one of several bills that are part of a broader crackdown

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