Republican strategist Scott Jennings drew sharp criticism from Democratic panelists Wednesday after citing new voter registration data showing Republicans gaining millions of voters since the 2020 presidential election.
According to records from 30 states that register voters by party affiliation, Democratic voter registration declined by approximately 2.1 million since 2020, while Republican registration increased by about 2.4 million, a net gain of more than 4 million voters for the GOP.
Jennings attributed the shift to Democrats’ stances on illegal immigration, crime, and their handling of pro-Hamas demonstrations following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
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“I think the Democrats are hemorrhaging voters because they’ve chosen all the wrong constituencies. They seem to care more about illegal aliens than American citizens, violent criminals than law-abiding citizens and the Palestinian flag more than the American flag,” Jennings said.
“And when you take — when you take — when you take those positions on things like that, people tend to run to the other party.”
Democratic strategist Alencia Jonson objected to Jennings’ remarks. “That is not true. That is not true,” she said. “And you know that’s not necessarily true.”
The debate came as President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders addressing illegal immigration since taking office in January 2025.
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On January 20, Trump signed an order designating the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the El Salvadoran gang MS-13, and multiple Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The move marked one of several measures aimed at targeting cross-border criminal groups, while Democrats filed multiple lawsuits in opposition to the orders.
During the panel exchange, Adam Mockler, a content creator for MeidasTouch, pressed Jennings on his remarks.
“Is there one mainstream Democrat that said he likes illegal immigrants over —” Mockler asked before Jennings responded, “Chris Van Hollen. There’s one.”
“He said that? Chris Van Hollen did not say that,” Mockler countered.
Jennings replied, “He went and had margaritas and Mai tais with what’s-his-name.”
The discussion referenced Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who, along with other Democrats, advocated for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a known MS-13 member, after he was deported to El Salvador.
Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia in April during a visit to the prison where he was being held.
Mockler disputed Jennings’ interpretation of Van Hollen’s actions.
“He met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was brought back to the United States,” Mockler said.
“The administration conceded that he was sent there wrongfully. So Chris Van Hollen, that’s not what he said.”
Abrego Garcia returned to the United States on June 6. He is now facing charges in a federal court in Nashville related to a 2022 case in Tennessee.
In that case, Abrego Garcia was detained by police during a traffic stop on suspicion of human trafficking but was released after intervention from the FBI during the Biden-Harris administration, according to the Tennessee Star.
The panel dispute highlighted ongoing partisan divisions over immigration policy, law enforcement, and public perception of how Democrats and Republicans are addressing crime and national security.
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