During a November 30th interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz made the case most violent criminals happen to be Democrats.
PolitiFact --- a journalism website that takes pride in being a Pulitzer Prize winner and also, apparently, the arbiter of political truth --- set out to disprove Cruz. They just chose to ignore the facts.
The PolitiFact ruling:
Research cited by the Cruz campaign supports the claim that, in at least three states, felons released from prison go on to register as Democrats at a disproportionately high rate following their release.
However, there are important caveats. The study in question looked at both violent and nonviolent felons without separating out those two groups. It’s not clear whether the patterns holds in the other 47 states. Also, the study didn’t look at active "criminals" but rather those who had already served their time. Finally, it’s hard to draw a line between cause and effect, particularly given the disproportionately high population of African-Americans -- a traditionally Democratic group -- in the criminal justice system.
We rate his statement Mostly False.
Glenn's co-hosts shared their reactions on radio Wednesday.
"So they admit that the research actually backs up what he's saying, but they give him a mostly false rating," said a bewildered Stu.
In the study cited by the Cruz campaign, the three states studied showed that 62 percent of criminals registered as Democrats, and 9 percent registered as Republicans. Another state had 52 as Democrats and 19 as Republications, and the final state had 55 as Democrats to 10 Republications. So the overwhelming majority of people who registered were Democrats.
"Isn't that bizarre?" Pat asked. "His statement is actually accurate, so no matter what their issue is, it can't be with Cruz. Because Cruz cited a study."
Watch a segment from the program below.
Featured Image: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. Candidates spoke and took questions from Jewish leaders and activists. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)