The annual Gallup poll on the death penalty was released in late October. The results of the poll found that support for capital punishment across the United States is near a 40-year low, and Gallup also found that Republican support for the death penalty has fallen by 5% in just one year. This is a substantial shift in such a short period of time, and it likely stems from the fact that many Republicans now see capital punishment for what it is, a dangerous and expensive government program.
Conservatives Concerned in the Media
CCATDP has, once again, been featured in numerous publications.
• Following Gallup’s findings, Townhall and Libertybriefing reported on the shift in Republican support and highlighted the work that we have been doing.
• I was a guest on Daybreak with Drew Steele (a Fox radio station), Talking out Loud with L.A. Cooper, and the Andy Caldwell Show.
• I was also interviewed by NBC’s Channel 10 and the UT Daily Beacon following an event in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Conservative Conversations
Continuing our series of conservative conversations about the death penalty, we featured two segments this month. Clare McCallan, Young America’s Foundation, described what it means to be pro-whole-life and how it is inconsistent with the death penalty. Austin Paul, Turning Point USA, discussed the issue of fiscal responsibility and how costly capital punishment really is.
Conservatives Concerned in the Field
I traveled to central and south Florida sharing the conservative case against the death penalty, and I spoke at events hosted by conservatives and libertarians at the University of South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Central Florida, and at the monthly meeting of the Orange County, Florida Young Republicans. I was welcomed with open arms, met many supporters, and even changed many attendees’ views of capital punishment.
After this trip, I headed north to Knoxville, Tennessee to an event hosted by the Young Americans for Liberty chapter at the University of Tennessee. The event featured death row exoneree and Witness to Innocence’s Ray Krone, the NAACP’s Reverend Butler, Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty’s Stacy Rector, and myself. The room was near capacity, and the event impacted many of the students’ opinions on capital punishment.
Meanwhile, CCATDP’s Ben Jones spoke in Kansas at the Baldwin County Republican Club to explain how capital punishment runs contrary to conservative values.
As we continue to travel the country, the Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty family thanks you for your support and wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.