In Senate and House races in 2020, Republicans were able to put Democrats on the defensive by linking them to the widespread demand to defund the police. In South Carolina's Senate race, Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison was running ahead of incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham until Graham started tying him to the Black Lives Matter slogan. In 2021, in Virginia's gubernatorial race, Republican Glenn Youngkin was able to take advantage of racial controversies around schooling to tie his Democratic opponent to "Critical Race Theory."  Republicans, who had lost the last two gubernatorial elections, won all the top state offices. 

Racial radicalism divided Democrats as well. In New York City, former policeman Eric Adams, promising more spending on the police, was elected mayor. In the Democratic primary, Maya Wiley, who ran on a promise to defund the police, came in third. In Minneapolis in November, voters re-elected Mayor Jacob Frey over two activists who backed a referendum to replace the police department by a Department of Public Safety. Voters turned down the referendum. Voters in Buffalo and Seattle also favored candidates who supporting increasing police funding. In San Francisco in 2022, voters at the urging of the Democratic mayor turned Boudin out of office in a referendum. In last year's Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary, voters favored a candidate, Cherelle Parker, who wanted to increase funding for the police over one who had opposed it. Parker was subsequently elected mayor.

Most Americans rejected the key demands of racial radicalism. They rejected “defund the police,” to be sure, but also the demand for “equity” or equality of outcomes in school admissions and employment. California's affirmative action initiative lost by 57 to 43 percent, with working-class voters, Hispanics, Asians, whites, moderates, and independents all in opposition. Americans also looked unfavorably on the demand for racial reparations. Poll after poll showed overwhelming opposition to the idea. An October 2021 Pew survey found opposition by 68 to 30 percent, with that opposition running through essentially every demographic group including all non-whites with the exception of blacks.