Crime, Policing and Prisons

National Guard troops in cities

18 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: It decides who controls the response to crime and unrest in your city, and how far a president's power over the military reaches at home.

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.

Whether presidents should send National Guard troops or other military forces into US cities to respond to crime or protests or to protect federal officers and buildings, including when the state's governor objects; in 2025 the Supreme Court left in place an order blocking a deployment in Illinois, finding that the law the president relied on likely did not allow it.1

  1. Let the president send troops into cities, even over a governor's objection
  2. Send troops only when a state's governor asks for them or agrees
  3. Don't use troops for local policing, and limit the president's power to send them

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.

Send troops only when a state's governor asks for them or agrees (2)

  • Josh Turek IA Senate
    His campaign website says he is the lead Democratic sponsor of a bipartisan Iowa bill that would bar sending Iowa National Guard members into another state without that state governor's permission.2
  • Deb Haaland NM Governor
    Her public safety plan says she would sign a law barring other states' National Guard troops from being sent into New Mexico without the governor's permission.3

Don't use troops for local policing, and limit the president's power to send them (4)

  • Jamie Joyce CA-12
    The MAD Act's website says the bill would end a president's authority to deploy the military at home under the Insurrection Act after 7 days unless Congress votes to extend it, and would bar deployments in response to peaceful protests, ordinary crime that police can handle, or political disagreement.4
  • Matt Little MN-2
    His campaign website says he would change the Posse Comitatus and Insurrection Acts to narrow the situations in which a president may send the military or National Guard troops into states.5
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says the military should not be used to police American streets or enforce immigration law, and that she would defend the Posse Comitatus Act.6
  • Jerri Green TN Governor
    Her platform says she would end the National Guard deployment in Memphis and reject further deployments in the state.7

Statements that don't match one option (12)

  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments introducing the SUN Act to address unlawful military deployments in American cities and a bill to strengthen protections against improper military involvement in domestic law enforcement.8,9
  • Dave Min CA-47
    His campaign website says President Trump has illegally deployed troops in American streets.10
  • Phil Weiser CO Governor
    His campaign website says he would fight attempts to federalize the Colorado National Guard or send the military into Colorado.11
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform says active-duty troops should not be deployed to detention centers or sanctuary cities, and that the National Guard, under civilian control, is the force for domestic use.12
  • Brenton Awa HI-2
    His campaign website proposes a temporary deployment of National Guard units to support local law enforcement in high-crime areas identified by crime data and local requests.13
  • Sean Casten IL-6
    His campaign website lists demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw National Guard troops from Illinois among his actions in Congress.14
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says the way President Trump sent the National Guard into Chicago is a slippery slope that must be called out.15
  • JB Pritzker IL Governor
    His campaign website says he stopped President Trump's attempt to send armed troops onto the streets of Chicago.16
  • Dan Koh MA-6
    His campaign website's Racial Justice page says President Trump is using federal power to target people of color, and names the deployment of the National Guard, along with what it calls unlawful ICE operations, among the most visible abuses.17
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    The record page lists a bill she introduced to amend the Insurrection Act, which it says would curb the president's power to deploy the military inside the country without the consent of Congress.18
  • Maggie Goodlander NH-2
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments court filings opposing the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois and challenging a deployment in the District of Columbia over the objections of local elected leaders.19
  • Tina Kotek OR Governor
    Her voters' pamphlet statement says she blocked what it calls President Trump's unlawful attempt to deploy the National Guard on Portland's streets.20