Democrats Scrubbed An Issue From Their Party Platform — And It's Going Under The Radar
www.huffpost.com
For the first time in more than a decade, the Democratic Party platform includes no mention of abolishing the death penalty.

On Monday, the Democrats approved their 2024 platform, which includes no mention of the death penalty. This year’s platform marks the first time since 2004 the platform has not mentioned the death penalty (the 2008 and 2012 platforms called for making the punishment less arbitrary).

Public support for the death penalty has been gradually declining. A Gallup poll last year found that 65% of Democrats oppose the punishment.

The Democratic National Committee did not respond to an email asking if the party still supports abolishing the death penalty.

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240823120531/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-scrub-death-penalty-campaign-platform_n_66c67a0de4b0b9c7b360296b

  • frezik
    111·
    4 months ago

    The President can blanket commute federal death penalty sentences. It’s been done in specific cases before:

    https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/president-obama-commutes-two-death-sentences

    Would just need the some White House lawyers to draw up the paperwork, and it’s done for at least one administration. Literally the minimum that could be done.

    Most death penalty cases are at the state level, of course. Even if they have Democrats in the governor’s office, this power will depend on the individual state constitution.