The Democratic Party supports defunding the police and abolishing prisons.
Posted by Speaker Mike Johnson, Checked
- Sources
- 3 contradict3 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 55%
Speaker Mike Johnson@SpeakerJohnsonOct 27, 2026… New data shows serious violent crime fell 25% nationwide in 2025. 🔻 Aggravated assault DOWN 31% 🔻 Motor vehicle theft DOWN 30% 🔻 Burglary and trespassing DOWN 25% 🔻 Property victimization DOWN 19% Republicans are fighting for you and your family. Democrats want to defund the police, abolish prisons, and endanger Americans! https://t.co/kTNp23nGql
The claim as extracted overstates the record: sources show the Democratic Socialists of America (a faction of the party, not the party itself) platform calls for abolishing or defunding police and prisons, while mainstream Democratic positions (e.g., the 2020 Democratic Platform) call for reforming and reimagining public safety and reducing incarceration, and figures like Rep.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What we found
Contradicts. WSJ and Washington Examiner state the DSA represents a minor segment of the Democratic Party and that not all members align with the platform; Rep. Cuellar explicitly rejected defunding police and abolishing prisons.[4][5]
Contradicts. The 2020 Democratic Party Platform emphasizes reforming the criminal justice system and reducing mass incarceration rather than abolishing prisons or defunding police, though it does not reject all police funding.[6]
Supports. The DSA's platform calls for 'fully abolishing the police and prison system' and defunding police, per Senator Thune's editorial and Washington Examiner coverage quoting the 2026 program.[3][5][7]
Supports. WSJ coverage reports that the DSA unveiled a platform calling for dissolution of police departments and prisons, and that some Democratic candidates such as Francesca Hong have supported defunding police as a step toward abolition.[1][4]
Context. PolitiFact finds Moody's attack misleading: Angie Nixon joined the DSA but the DSA does not appear to have endorsed her, and her campaign emphasizes public safety and criminal justice reform.[2]
Context. The claim's extracted wording ('The Democratic Party supports') departs from the passage ('Democrats want to...') by widening a faction's platform to the whole party; the summary treats the claim as extracted.[4][8]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 2 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Democratic candidates grapple with 'defund the police' baggage |...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2How aligned is Angie Nixon with democratic socialists? Moody's ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Socialism Finds A Home With Democrats - Senator John Thunethune.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Do Democrats Really Want to Defund Police, Abolish Prisons and Open Borders?wsj.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
- 5Top Democrats call it 'crazy.' Their party calls it the 'big tent'washingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 6[PDF] 2020 Democratic Party Platform - FactCheck.orgcdn.factcheck.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 7DSA's Takeover of Democratic Party Abetted by an Open Door - Yahooyahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Democratic socialists are having a moment. They're not all in ... - CNNcnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post