Democrat North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley tried to distance herself from the Defund the Police movement on Monday, after receiving negative attention for her affiliation with far-left members of her own party who champion the cause.
The former chief justice for the North Carolina Superior Court reportedly, “pitched herself Monday as a bridge between law enforcement and the Democratic party, appealing to moderate voters in one of the nation’s most competitive races for a seat in the narrowly divided chamber,” according to the Associated Press.
Beasley said Monday at a news conference in Durham:
I do not support defund the police. I know that police officers need more funding … for recruitment, retention, training, mental health and addressing the opioid crisis. We’ve got to be more realistic about the kinds of issues that they’re dealing with in our communities.
Beasley was joined by several former and current law enforcement officers at the conference and promised to work across the aisle to “secure funding for local law enforcement to train officers on deescalation techniques, mindful responses to behavioral health crises and alternatives to using force.”
“She also told sheriffs she would fight for federal funding to help rural departments address officer shortages and the ongoing opioid crisis,” the report states.
The move comes after she garnered criticism for launching a fundraising partnership with self-proclaimed socialist Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who is a staunch supporter of the Defund the Police movement. Her statement also comes after Beasley joined financial forces with four other far-left senate candidates in the states of Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to stave off Republicans from flipping the Senate from blue to red in November. One candidate is Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), who believes law-abiding Pennsylvanians would be no “less safe” with one-third of the state’s prison population prowling the streets. Another is self-described socialist Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) who is backed by pro-“defund the police” PACs.
GOP U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC), who is backed by many local sheriffs and the North Carolina Troopers Association, said during a recent speech that Beasley’s campaign is in “a desperate place when it comes to law enforcement” and that it is “dishonest” for her to pretend she has the favor of law enforcement.
Budd’s spokeswoman, Samantha Cotten, told Breitbart News on Tuesday that Beasley’s only regret is being called out for fundraising with far-left Democrats. Cotten said:
Ted Budd is a strong supporter of law enforcement officers and that’s why the National Border Control Council and the NC Troopers Association support Ted Budd for US Senate. No law enforcement groups support Cheri Beasley because Beasley has spent her career defending cop-killers, vacating death sentences for murderers, and throwing out the indictments of sex offenders, [hyperlinks included in statement].
But Cheri Beasley is proud to stand with any NC Democrat Sheriff who has refused to work with ICE and other federal authorities to properly detain illegal aliens. And at the start of her campaign, Cheri Beasley was only too happy to raise money with “Defund the Police” Members of Congress and other far-left liberals who describe dismantling police departments as “thoughtful.” Her only regret was getting caught raising money with Defund the Police folks and exposed. But, of course, she’s refused to give them their money back.
Budd and Beasley have been running an extremely tight race, according to recent polling. Both candidates are running to fill retiring Sen. Richard Burr’s (R-NC) seat — and as Breitbart News previously reported, the North Carolina seat is part of the first tier of seats Republicans absolutely need to hold to win the majority.