2018 Midterm Elections in Review
National Police Support Fund was busy helping causes and candidates this past election season. From Ohio and the Midwest, all the way down to Georgia and Florida, National Police Support Fund threw its support behind causes of the utmost importance to law enforcement officers in those areas.
Our mission has always been to support America’s police officers in the political process, and this year National Police Support Fund accomplished that mission. Although the results were mixed, we were proud to stand alongside the brave men and women of America’s law enforcement community as they sought to make their voices heard in the 2018 midterm elections.
Here is a brief rundown of who and what National Police Support Fund supported in 2018.
Law enforcement veteran Randy Robertson elected to Georgia State Senate
National Police Support Fund threw its support behind Randy Robertson in his bid to be elected as state senator for Georgia’s 29th district. Randy Robertson is a 30-and-a-half-year law enforcement veteran. Prior to his retirement from Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office in 2015, Robertson was a leader in the department in areas ranging from undercover narcotics investigations to serving as the Director of Homeland Security for Columbus, Georgia.
We are confident that Mr. Robertson will always have the back of police officers as he serves as state senator in Georgia.
National Police Support Fund helps Ohio police officers bid to defeat soft-on-crime amendment
Vote No Protect Ohio PAC stood against a ballot measure known as Issue 1, which was overwhelmingly opposed by the state’s law enforcement community. The constitutional amendment, “would have reclassified possession, use and obtaining all drugs to misdemeanors and would have prohibited sending people to prison for drug offenses until the third offense in 24 months.” Furthermore, the measure would have prevented judges from sentencing some drug offenders until their third offense.
After hearing the outcry of from police officers in Ohio, National Police Support Fund helped Vote No Protect Ohio PCA to ensure that the measure was defeated. On November 6, Ohio voters struck down Issue 1 which was a major win for the state’s law enforcement community and those they serve.
Opposition to Amendment 6 in Florida
In Florida, a state referendum known as Amendment 6, was met with extreme controversy. Although the amendment claimed to strengthen the rights of crime victims, politicians in Florida used the measure to try and pass other unrelated provisions that many Floridians may not have been aware of when they cast their ballots.
Despite the efforts of National Police Support Fund and other law enforcement organizations in Florida, the measure narrowly passed. “Victim’s rights are always paramount when it comes to issues of law and order,” says Simon Lewis, Executive Director of National Police Support Fund. “In the case of Amendment 6 in Florida, many feared that politicians and interest groups used the issue of victims’ rights to pass completely unrelated provisions. That is why National Police Support Fund supported the Florida Fraternal Order of Police after hearing their concerns on Amendment 6.”
National Police Support Fund will continue its efforts to support America’s police officers heading in to 2019. We are dedicated to advocating for the law enforcement community and the issues most important to them and we plan on doubling our efforts next year.