Research: Voting Republican Saves Lives

For years Americans have been assured that Democrat prosecutors are the compassionate choice, but a new study suggests that that compassion comes at a deadly cost.

According to research by Vanderbilt University economist Panka Bencsik and Wellesley College Professor Tyler Giles, counties that narrowly elect Republican prosecutors experience a significantly lower death rate among young men. In fact, when a Republican prosecutor narrowly beats a Democrat, the all-cause mortality among men aged 20 to 29 falls by 6.6 percent.

In other words, voting Republican can save lives.

The researchers set out to examine whether there’s any relationship between the politics of a prosecutor and the community-level mortality rate. As the study notes, prosecutors decide whether (and what) criminal charges should be filed against an individual. They get to decide whether crimes like domestic violence, assault, vandalism, or theft are charged as a misdemeanor or felony and give sentencing recommendations.

Republicans are typically characterized as “tough on crime,” while Democrats are more lenient.

The study used data from 2010 to 2019 and compared counties where a Republican prosecutor barely won and counties where a Republican barely lost.

The main finding shows a “Republican local prosecutor leads to a reduction in all-cause mortality among the most criminal justice-involved demographic: young men ages 20 to 29 years old.”

“This reduction is meaningful,” the study finds, noting a 6.6 percent reduction.

The mortality change was driven primarily by fewer firearm-related deaths. According to the study, counties with Republican prosecutors saw a “reduction in firearm homicide among Black men and a smaller reduction in firearm suicides and accidents primarily among White men.”

The study notes that while there is an increase in black men going to prison when a Republican prosecutor is in office, that only accounts for roughly one-third of mortality reduction among black men and it does not explain the reduction in mortality among white men at all. That means that simply locking more people up isn’t the only driving factor to lower firearm-related deaths.

Republicans, according to the study, tend to pursue more charges and convictions. Convictions can carry consequences like restrictions on gun ownership and household firearm access. As a result, violent offenders or others suffering from a mental health crisis are unable to possess a firearm, resulting in less firearm-related deaths.

This study comes after years of the left maligning Republicans “tough on crime” approach.

The New York Times in 2023 framed Republican efforts to rein in progressive prosecutors as “Republicans pounce.”

“Republican lawmakers are putting limits on progressive prosecutors,” Emily Bazelon wrote. “Democratic district attorneys (often serving cities with man Black and Latino voters) say they are prioritizing serious crimes. In response, Republicans (often representing mostly white and rural areas) have accused them of ignoring criminal law and are making it easier to remove them from office.”

The Los Angeles Times editorial board similarly framed the efforts as Republicans using an “ominous strategy to thwart criminal justice reform — and democracy.”

According to the editorial board, Hillsborough County, Florida, voters were “stuck with an unelected, tough-on-crime prosecutor.”

TIME Magazine’s Udi Ofer wrote in 2022 that “Politicians’ Tough-on-Crime Messaging Could Have Devastating Consequences.”

But as it turns out, the only “devastating” consequences are the ones that occur as a result of a Democrat narrowly winning a race.

Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2