Crime, Policing and Prisons

Mandatory minimum sentences

27 public statements from 2026 candidates · 3 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: These laws decide how long many people spend in prison and how much say judges have over punishment, which affects prison costs and public safety.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Laws that set the shortest prison sentence a judge may give for certain crimes, such as some drug and gun offenses, even when the details of the case would call for less, with narrow exceptions such as some low-level drug cases.1,2,3

  1. Reduce or end mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug crimes
  2. Keep current mandatory minimums
  3. Add or raise mandatory minimums, for example for selling fentanyl

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Reduce or end mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug crimes (9)

  • Robb Ryerse AR-3
    His campaign website calls for ending mandatory minimum sentences that ignore individual circumstances.4
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says he would reform federal sentencing guidelines, including mandatory minimums, and lists among his accomplishments a California law repealing the most common mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.5
  • Angélica María Dueñas CA-29
    Her campaign website calls for eliminating mandatory minimum sentences and three-strikes laws.6,7
  • Priscilla Gonzalez LA-3
    Her campaign website says sentencing laws such as mandatory minimums and three-strikes laws should be reformed to allow judicial discretion and alternative sentencing, and that non-violent offenses, particularly drug-related crimes, should be decriminalized.8
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says he would advance sentencing reforms that eliminate mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses.9
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It also calls for ending mandatory minimum sentences for low-level offenses.10
  • Shannon W. Bray NC Senate
    His campaign website supports reducing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenses and ending civil asset forfeiture without a conviction.11
  • Andres Jinete NJ-12
    His campaign website calls for banning mandatory minimum sentences in federal cases and restoring more discretion to judges.12
  • Ted Brown TX Senate
    His campaign website says he would end mandatory minimum sentences.13

Add or raise mandatory minimums, for example for selling fentanyl (8)

  • Rob Sand IA Governor
    His campaign website says he supports mandatory prison time for anyone convicted of stealing more than $10,000 in taxpayer money.14
  • Rasheed Nicholas Walters MA-8
    His campaign website says he will introduce legislation setting mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl distribution of 20 years for a first offense, 40 years for a second and life without parole for a third.15
  • Michael Roger Minogue MA Governor
    His campaign website says he would create mandatory jail time for anyone convicted of violence against law enforcement officers.16
  • Robert B. Charles ME Governor
    His crime plan says he would work with the Legislature to enact mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl distribution and trafficking.17
  • Michele Tafoya MN Senate
    Her campaign website says she will push for new mandatory minimum federal prison sentences for fraud.18
  • Lisa Demuth MN Governor
    Her campaign website says she supports mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders and straw purchasers, and longer sentences with no early release for people who commit a third violent crime.19,20
  • Eric Michael Foreman NE-2
    His campaign website lists harsher punishment and mandatory sentences for crimes against children among its platform points.21
  • David Hatley TN Governor
    His campaign website proposes mandatory life without parole for adults convicted of a second serious child sex offense.22

Statements that don't match one option (10)

  • Nick Begich AK-AL
    His campaign website says he co-sponsored and helped pass the HALT Fentanyl Act, which it says permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs and increases penalties for traffickers.23
  • Chuong V. Vo CA-45
    His campaign website says he would push to increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking and go after the fentanyl supply chain, from Chinese suppliers of its ingredients to Mexican cartels.24
  • Jenny Rae Le Roux CA-47
    Her campaign website says she will back legislation holding fentanyl traffickers to the harshest federal penalties available.25
  • David Jolly FL Governor
    His campaign website says he would reform rather than abolish mandatory minimum sentences, letting judges weigh individual circumstances through state changes similar to the federal FIRST STEP Act.26
  • Dean Ocean Abrams FL Governor
    His campaign website says mandatory minimum sentences should be reviewed for proportionality.27
  • Julia Letlow LA Senate
    Her campaign website says she would increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking.28
  • LaVeta Davenport MI-1
    The Green Party of Michigan 2026 platform text on her campaign website, which says she fully aligns with it, calls for lighter sentences for non-violent drug offenses and for shrinking the share of the population in prison.29
  • Christine Drazan OR Governor
    Her campaign website says she would increase penalties for drug traffickers.30
  • Darline Graham SC Senate
    Her campaign website says she supports tough penalties for fentanyl traffickers and violent repeat offenders.31
  • Alan Wilson SC Governor
    His campaign website says he would strengthen penalties for fentanyl and violent offenders.32

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.