Rising crime. Coronavirus woes. Small business closures. Higher taxes. Bipartisan displeasure with Democrat dominance of cities.
These concerns give urban residents, roughly 81 percent of the total U.S. population, good reason to flee cities for suburbs and rural localities.
Sadly, Republican retreat from urban areas gave Democrats carte blanche to rule cities unchallenged for decades. Nevertheless, given the current circumstances, Republicans must and can offer a contrast to the chaos unfolding nationwide.
Retreat from Cities Problematic for Party’s Viability
In 2000, Republican mayors dominated half of the nation’s dozen largest cities. Today, Republican mayors only oversee 13 of the 50 largest U.S. cities.
City Journal noted in 2013, “The Republican move away from the cities is also bad for the cities themselves, which have hugely benefited—and could benefit a lot more—from right-of-center ideas.”
Given how lawless cities like Portland, Seattle, New York City, and Los Angeles have become, there is a ripe opportunity for the party to make its case to cities—if done so genuinely and effectively.