The “defund the police” movement had its moment during the Black Lives Matter fervor of 2020. But even then, mainstream politicians distanced themselves from its rhetoric, and four-fifths of black Americans told Gallup they wanted to see the same or even more police presence where they lived. Over the next few years, voters in blue areas rejected defund-style ideas at the ballot box, while Democratic leaders worried that the party’s anti-police fringe would undermine its electoral coalition.
