Ted Cruz’s Four-Pinocchio claim that ‘the overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats’
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Nov. 30, 2015
This was a startling assertion by the GOP presidential hopeful. He used this “undeniable fact” to explain why Democrats support giving the right to vote to convicted felons — “because the Democrats know convicted felons tend to vote Democrat.” He also added that “the media never reports on any of that, doesn’t want to admit any of that.”
When a politician asserts a fact with such certitude, The Fact Checker is always eager to investigate. What’s the basis for Cruz’s claim?
The Facts
Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier did not respond to queries, but Cruz’s campaign staff told CNN that he relied on a study that was published in 2014 by the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and written by University of Pennsylvania professor Marc Meredith and assistant Michael Morse.
This study was featured in a brief article that appeared under this headline in the right-leaning Washington Examiner: “Jail survey: 7 in 10 felons register as Democrats.” But as we always warn politicians, you need to dig behind the headlines and news stories and actually read the studies that are being cited. After all, this study was titled, “Do Voting Rights Notification Laws Increase Ex-Felon Turnout?”
From the start, one can see something fishy is going on with Cruz’s claim. The study is a survey of party registration of ex-felons, not people in jail. Moreover, while Cruz spoke of “violent criminals,” not all felonies (such as fraud or drug-related convictions) involve violent acts — and the study did not break down the types of crimes committed by the former prisoners.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ted-cruz%E2%80%99s-four-pinocchio-claim-that-%E2%80%98the-overwhelming-majority-of-violent-criminals-are-democrats%E2%80%99/ar-AAfVijQ?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
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