{"id":2574418,"date":"2026-02-27T12:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T12:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:38:10","slug":"study-voting-republican-saves-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: Voting Republican Saves Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstudy-voting-republican-saves-lives%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574418&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent study by Vanderbilt economist Panka Bencsik and Wellesley College Professor Tyler Giles analyzes data from 2010\u20132019 and finds that counties where a Republican prosecutor narrowly wins election experience a meaningful decline in all-cause mortality among young men aged 20\u201329, compared with similar counties where a Republican narrowly loses. The researchers report a 6.6% reduction in mortality in these counties, driven mainly by fewer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-the-1994-assault-weapons-ban-didnt-work\/\" title=\"Why The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Didn\u2019t Work\">firearm-related deaths<\/a> among Black men, with smaller reductions in firearm suicides and incidents among White men. They argue that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-ags-battle-woke-law-enforcement\/\" title=\"Republican AGs Battle \u2018Woke\u2019 Law Enforcement\">republican prosecutors<\/a> tend to charge and convict more often, which can lead to greater restrictions on gun ownership and access for offenders or individuals in crisis, potentially lowering gun fatalities. The authors emphasize that the effect is not solely explained by higher imprisonment rates among Black men, suggesting other factors are also at play. The piece situates the findings within ongoing debates over prosecutorial reforms and tough-on-crime messaging, noting criticisms of progressive prosecutors from outlets such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Brianna Lyman, the article\u2019s author, suggests these results challenge the conventional left-leaning critique of republican toughness on crime, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >implying potential life-saving implications<\/a> in certain prosecutorial approaches.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Police_Line_Crime_Scene_2498847226.jpg\"><\/a>&#8220;&gt;Tony Wesbter\/ Wikimedia Commons \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\">CC By-SA 4.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/27\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Study:%20Voting%20Republican%20Saves%20Lives&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/27\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Study:%20Voting%20Republican%20Saves%20Lives&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/27\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/27\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Study:%20Voting%20Republican%20Saves%20Lives&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/27\/study-voting-republican-saves-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>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. <\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1aEfIlS943SwbDytdghTdFeWc49dws7yw\/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">research<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-58501446\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In other words, voting Republican can save lives. <\/p>\n<p>The researchers set out to examine whether there&rsquo;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. <\/p>\n<p>Republicans are typically characterized as &ldquo;tough on crime,&rdquo; while Democrats are more lenient.<\/p>\n<p>The study used data from 2010 to 2019 and compared counties where a Republican prosecutor barely won and counties where a Republican barely lost. <\/p>\n<p>The main finding shows a &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This reduction is meaningful,&rdquo; the study finds, noting a 6.6 percent reduction.<\/p>\n<p>The mortality change was driven primarily by fewer firearm-related deaths. According to the study, counties with Republican prosecutors saw a &ldquo;reduction in firearm homicide among Black men and a smaller reduction in firearm suicides and accidents primarily among White men.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>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&rsquo;t the only driving factor to lower firearm-related deaths.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-year-old-girl-pepper-sprayed-during-interaction-with-rochester-police\/\" title=\"9-Year-Old Girl Pepper Sprayed During Interaction With Rochester Police\">mental health crisis<\/a> are unable to possess a firearm, resulting in less firearm-related deaths.<\/p>\n<p>This study comes after years of the left maligning Republicans &ldquo;tough on crime&rdquo; approach. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/07\/briefing\/legislators-response-to-crime.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Times<\/a> in 2023 framed Republican efforts to rein in progressive prosecutors as &ldquo;Republicans pounce.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Republican lawmakers are putting limits on progressive prosecutors,&rdquo; Emily Bazelon wrote. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/story\/2023-02-14\/reform-prosecutors-removed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a> editorial board similarly framed the efforts as Republicans using an &ldquo;ominous strategy to thwart criminal justice reform &mdash; and democracy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to the editorial board, Hillsborough County, Florida, voters were &ldquo;stuck with an unelected, tough-on-crime prosecutor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>TIME Magazine&rsquo;s Udi Ofer wrote in 2022 that &ldquo;Politicians&rsquo; Tough-on-Crime Messaging Could Have Devastating Consequences.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>But as it turns out, the only &ldquo;devastating&rdquo; consequences are the ones that occur as a result of a Democrat narrowly winning a race.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      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<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/crime\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrat\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrat<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/progressive\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Progressive<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/republican\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Republican<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tough-on-crime\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">tough on crime<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Study finds GOP prosecutors curb young male deaths<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2574419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1280px-Police_Line_Crime_Scene_2498847226-e1772209278844.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[3911,4866,4351],"class_list":["post-2574418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-republican","tag-study","tag-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1280px-Police_Line_Crime_Scene_2498847226-e1772209278844.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574418"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574422,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574418\/revisions\/2574422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}