Leftist Groups Spent $6 Million Fighting Tough-on-Crime Measures—and Lost

Blue states like California and Colorado are fighting against “progressive” policies that protect criminals and not law-abiding citizens, but Leftist groups spent millions to keep criminals out of jail.

American voters are absolutely fed up with crime rates in America, and the ballot measures that passed across the country during the 2024 election prove it.

Law-abiding Americans managed to pass numerous harsh-on-crime ballot measures—even in blue states where “progressive” groups spent $6.3 million fighting them.

Over the last few years, Democrat-run cities have suffered under soft-on-crime policies that promote criminal behavior and leniency toward lawbreakers under the banner of “justice.” These criminal justification groups then entered the scene calling for “equity” and “rehabilitation”—but their policies, many backed by pro-crime megadonor George Soros, led down the dangerous road of allowing criminals to run free.

It very quickly became apparent to most Americans that the groups did not want to strengthen “justice,” but rather promote lawlessness. Crime skyrocketed around the country, and states like California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and numerous others began to deal with rampant theft—all while lackadaisical cash bail laws allowed criminals to return to the streets to continue wreaking havoc.

But Americans are tired, broke, and ready for change after four years of the Biden-Harris administration. The 2024 ballot measure votes prove law-abiding Americans, on both sides of the political aisle, seek to ensure the safety of Americans.

(RELATED: Kamala Harris’s FBI Is Gaslighting You About the Crime Wave)

California

California is the “progressive” model of the nation. Whether it’s gun control laws, abortion access, or sky-high taxes, California constantly falls short of what Americans truly need to live fulfilling lives.

Yet California voters decided against all odds to shield themselves from rampant criminal activity by overwhelmingly approving Proposition 36, 70 percent to 29 percent.

The new law will reverse several of the pro-criminal policies of the 2014 Proposition 47, which reduced many felonies to misdemeanors and allowed criminals to steal up to $950 before serious charges were sought.

Proposition 36, backed by the Republican Party of California, the San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D), and Californians for Safer Communities, will reclassify drug charges as treatment-mandated felonies, increase penalties for certain drug crimes by increasing sentence lengths, require courts to warn individuals convicted of distributing illegal drugs of their potential future criminal liability if they distribute deadly drugs, and increases sentences for theft based on the value of the property stolen.

The Committee to Protect Public Safety, No on Prop 36, and Californians United to Oppose Proposition 36 led the campaign against Proposition 36 alongside the California Democratic Party, ACLU of Northern California, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Vera Institute of Justice, and League of Women Voters of California.

"Prop. 36 takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration, it promotes a promise that can't be delivered,” said leftist, pro-criminal California Gov. Gavin Newson.

The opposition to Proposition 36 reported $6.10 million in contributions through October 19, and the supporting PACs reported over $13.66 million in contributions.

(RELATED: California’s Crime Wave is America’s Future Under Kamala)

Colorado

Colorado residents voted in favor of two crime measures and will likely pass a third that increases funding for police officers—a move that bolsters the state’s ability to fight crime.

Amendment I, which passed 69 percent to 31 percent, removes the right to bail in cases of first-degree murder when “the proof is evident or the presumption is great.” The measure, in the form of a constitutional amendment, will change a 2023 Colorado supreme court ruling that stated first-degree murder could not be considered a capital offense for the purpose of denying bail.

“This was clearly an unintended consequence of repealing the death penalty that puts the safety of the community at risk, and nearly 500 first-degree murder cases have been impacted since 2020, and courts have set bond in some of those cases,” said Colorado state Sen. Mike Lynch (R).

The decision is now given back to the courts to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Proposition 128, which passed 62 percent to 38 percent, requires that offenders of certain violent crimes must serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentence before reaching parole eligibility. If an individual has two prior violent convictions, they must serve their whole sentence.

Those who opposed the proposition wanted the eligibility to remain at 75 percent minus any good behavior.

Coloradans for Smart Justice spent $103,202 opposing Proposition 127. The ACLU donated $52,000 and the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition donated $50,000.

The final ballot measure in Colorado is Proposition 130, which is not decided but currently sits at 53 percent in favor 46 percent against—with 73 percent reporting.

The measure will create a fund for police officer training and support. It will also provide death benefits for surviving spouses and children of officers or first responders killed in the line of duty.

The measure was opposed by the ACLU and Coloradans for Smart Justice, which spent $102,000.

Arizona

Arizona residents voted in favor of two crime ballot measures that toughen laws for sex trafficking, illegal immigration, and drugs.Prop. 314 result. Credit: NBC

Proposition 313, which requires that anyone convicted of child sex trafficking must receive a sentence of life imprisonment, passed 64–36 percent. Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, Arizona National Organization for Women, League of Women Voters of Arizona, and Middle Ground Prison Reform opposed the measure.

Arizona Proposition 314, known as the Arizona Immigration and Border Law Enforcement Measure, will help bolster police response to the ongoing border crisis created by Biden-Harris policies.

The Measure will make it a state crime for noncitizens to enter the state at any location other than the port of entry, allow for state and local police to arrest noncitizens who cross the border unlawfully, allow for state judges to order deportations, and will strengthen identification laws to determine an individual’s status.

(RELATED: Arizona Arrests are Up 1,450 Percent Since Kamala Took Office. But She Won’t Take Responsibility)