Aspiring congressional candidate unveils new campaign slogan: ‘Make crime illegal again’

EXCLUSIVE: Washington State Congressional Candidate Matt Larkin runs on a crime-fighting platform based on supporting law enforcement in an effort to “make crime illegal again” in the middle of soaring crime and the failure of Liberal leadership in Seattle.

Larkin, a Republican who lost his bid for Washington state attorney general to the outgoing Democrat in 2020, plans to challenge sitting Democratic Representative Kim Schrier for the seat representing Washington’s 8th District.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Larkin said that the surge in violent crime, the rise in homelessness and the growing number of assaults on police motivated him to take up the race.

“The prosecutors on the left fail to prosecute the charges against the criminals and that makes us all dangerous. They refuse to prosecute the crime and I am showing up on a platform to make the crime illegal again,” Larkin told Fox News.

“I can only pray that we don’t see another ‘summer of love,’ said the congressional hope.

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Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan received a strong reaction last summer for her comment referring to a violent occupation protest, known as the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” (CHOP), at the precinct. east of Seattle, like a harmless “summer of love”.

Asked about rioters in Seattle and Portland, Oregon last summer – many of whom raided courthouses, assaulted police officers and went without trial – Larkin called this a problem, but said he was “not surprised”. He said 89% of arrests for all crimes in the city of Seattle go without any resolution.

“Our Seattle city attorney refuses to prosecute crimes and increasingly facilitates crime,” Larkin said. “If the crimes go without any resolution, people think they can get away with anything. If you give a thumbs up, the criminals will take a mile.”

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Violent crime, including murders and kidnappings, has increased dramatically in Seattle in recent years.

Larkin specifically pointed to disturbing statistics revealing that the frequency of human trafficking incidents in Washington state has increased by nearly 2,000% in recent years.

Larkin also told Fox News that Biden’s hypocrisy was exposed by the administration’s decision to put rioting violence in Seattle on hold over the summer, while actively pursuing cases against them. rioters on the US Capitol.

This is a “typical liberal double standard,” he said. “Yes [the democrats] were intellectually honest, they would want to investigate Portland, they would want to investigate Seattle, they would want to investigate the riots across the country that we have seen and the lawlessness and violence that we have seen. “

Larkin explained, “These are real cases of violence that have happened, and ignoring one and actively pursuing another is not leadership. It’s sad to see this through the Biden administration, but I am not surprised. ”

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Supporting police funding, not definancing or resource stripping, is also Larkin’s heart.

Larkin said that, especially during the summer, law enforcement officers were mistreated by rioters who “literally tried to burn them alive in Seattle neighborhoods.”

“They threw a flaming spear into the window of a busy police car and tried to burn the officer alive. These things are real, these are not dramatic stories, these things really do happen,” he said. Larkin said.

“Law enforcement needs our help, especially as Seattle is further reducing police budgets.” Larkin continued, “When crime soars, now is not the time to cut your law enforcement budget. It will make the problem worse.”

Washington’s 8th District is a swinging neighborhood on the edge of bright blue Seattle. It had been ruled by Republicans since the 1980s until Schrier transferred the seat to the Democratic Column in 2018.

Larkin won the 8th District with more than 51% of the vote in the AG race in 2020, and Washington Conservatives cite that number as proof that the seat can be won by a Republican.

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Larkin told Fox News that running for Congress is “a mission of the heart” and a unique opportunity to effect real change in the state and across the country.

The longtime Washington native resides in the state with his wife and four young children. He received his law degree from Gonzaga University and previously worked at the George W. Bush White House and as a criminal prosecutor.

The state primary will take place in August 2022.