CHICAGO—Many Black voters in some of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods are frustrated that Democrats haven’t curbed persistent crime or fixed the economic problems that underpin it, prompting some to weigh sitting out upcoming elections.
The Republican effort to win the Illinois governor’s race this fall has centered on calling for more police officers and blaming Democrats for violent crime in Chicago, which last year had one of its worst years since the 1990s before some types of crimes receded this year.
Republican aides and strategists said they wouldn’t come close to winning deep-blue areas of the state such as Chicago but that they hoped to chip away at the Democratic advantage in the city, which could be achieved if some voters stay home.