Lately, you’ve probably seen people on X and in the news claiming that “four out of the five most violent cities in America are in red states.”
At first glance, that sounds like a gotcha aimed at conservatives.
But like so many political talking points, the truth is more complicated once you actually look at the details.
The cities most often listed are Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Baltimore, Maryland.
It’s true that four of these five cities are located in states that usually vote Republican.
Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, and Tennessee all went for Donald Trump in 2020 and have Republican governors and legislatures.
But here’s the part that often gets left out: every single one of these cities is run by a Democrat mayor.
In fact, if you look at crime across the country, the same pattern repeats itself. High-crime hot spots are overwhelmingly in cities where Democrats have been in charge for decades.
Jackson, Mississippi tops the list with the highest homicide rate in the nation — about 78 murders per 100,000 people in 2024, according to FBI crime data.
Birmingham comes in next with a homicide rate close to 59 per 100,000.
Memphis has a violent crime rate nearly six times the national average.
St. Louis has long been labeled the “murder capital,” and even Baltimore — the one city on the list in a blue state — struggles with sky-high crime despite recent declines.
Nationwide, violent crime actually fell about 4.5% in 2024. That’s good news, but these cities remain outliers. They’re not following the same downward trend.
That raises a question: is it really about “red states” or is it about blue-run cities?
Critics try to pin the blame on Republicans by pointing to the state map. But local leadership matters.
City governments control police departments, district attorneys, and local courts. And in all five cities, Democrats hold those keys.
Here in Nevada, this debate feels familiar.
Las Vegas and Reno are our largest cities, and while Nevada is considered a swing state, local policies in Clark County often mirror the same progressive “soft-on-crime” approaches we see in places like St. Louis or Baltimore.
Whether it’s lenient bail rules or prosecutors refusing to pursue charges, decisions made at the city level can outweigh whatever party is in charge of the statehouse.
Some posts on social media throw out percentages about race and crime in these cities, like “90% of offenders in Jackson are black.”
Nationally, black Americans made up about 37% of violent crime arrests in 2023, even though they’re just 13% of the population.
That’s a serious problem worth addressing — but it’s also tied closely to poverty, broken families, and failing schools. Those are policy issues, not just numbers.
Think about it this way: if a football team loses every season, you don’t blame the stadium. You look at the coach and the playbook.
In the same way, pointing out that a state votes Republican doesn’t tell you much about why one particular city is struggling with crime.
The real story is that the cities with the worst records almost always have Democrat leadership, weak prosecutors, and years of failed policies that put criminals ahead of victims.
Even liberal groups like Third Way admit red states overall report higher murder rates. But that stat includes these Democrat-run cities, which drag the numbers up.
Strip those out, and the picture looks very different.
For Nevadans, this debate is more than a talking point. Our communities are debating how to balance public safety with criminal justice reform.
In Las Vegas, we’ve seen the results when the Clark County District Attorney goes light on repeat offenders — people get hurt.
Governor Joe Lombardo, a former sheriff, has been pushing for more accountability, and he’s right to do so.
Nevada doesn’t need to repeat the mistakes of cities like Memphis or Baltimore.
So yes, technically four of the five most violent cities are in “red states.”
But that talking point hides the bigger truth: the crime crisis is concentrated in blue-run cities with decades of failed Democrat leadership. Nevadans should take note.
If we want safe streets, it’s not about whether a state is red or blue. It’s about whether local leaders are willing to put law-abiding citizens ahead of criminals.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
