Jurisprudence

A study of elected prosecutors shows what happens when voters reward “tough” politics.

More ICE or less is on the ballot. Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Finn Gomez/Getty Images and Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images.

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Next week, America votes in the midterms. And as Election Day approaches, a new rhetoric of crime and illegality has emerged with familiar implications.

While the “tough-on-crime” era of the 1980s and 1990s may have passed , similar dialogue today is anchored in “tough-on-immigration” policies. For example, Republicans and allied groups spent $53 million on immigration ads across 27 states from January to June.…