Crime as a campaign issue

Saw somewhere today that because the Republicans are making NO ground on the economy and they've had to pretend that they're in favor of healthcare, so they can't run on repeal and replace, so they're running on crime.  This is going to take us back to overcrowded prisons that are simply meant to make private prison owners richer.  Worse yet, the death penalty has now become an issue...in that we're not killing enough people.  That's why there's crime in Chicago, dontcha know...because of the death penalty moratorium.