CNN's Don Lemon says Kenosha violence hurts Democrats: 'The rioting has to stop'

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Two killed, one injured during Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting

CNN host Don Lemon declared Tuesday night that now-deadly riots in Kenosha, Wis., have to stop if 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Biden wants to defeat President Trump on election day.

“The rioting has to stop,” Lemon said. “It’s showing up in the polling. It’s showing up in focus groups. It is the only thing right now that is sticking.”

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Don Lemon said now-deadly protests and riots in Kenosha have to stop if Joe Biden wants to defeat President Trump on Election Day.

Earlier this week, Grabien Media founder Tom Elliot noticed that the word “violent” was quickly erased from CNN’s on-screen graphic when correspondent Omar Jiminez did a live hit from Kenosha.

But after three nights of unrest, even liberal CNN has acknowledged the protests are far from peaceful. Lemon called the events in Kenosha a “Rorschach test” for the entire country.

“I think this is a blind spot for Democrats,” Lemon said. “I think Democrats are ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away. And it’s not going to go away.”

Lemon said it’s unlikely anyone will come up with a solution before Election Day.

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“The problem is not gonna be fixed by then, but what they can do, and I think Joe Biden may be afraid to do it, I’m not sure, maybe he won’t, maybe he is, he’s got to address it,” Lemon said. “He’s got to come out and talk about it. He’s got to do a speech like Barack Obama did about race. He’s got to come out and tell people that he is going to deal with the issue of police reform in this country.”

“The View” co-host Meghan McCain noticed a clip of Lemon’s comments on Twitter and agreed with the liberal CNN host.

“Everything @donlemon said here is accurate. This is the one issue that could really turn the election against Biden and is showing up in the polling -- all leaders have to come out forcefully and unequivocally against violence and looting,” McCain tweeted.

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The remarks come as hundreds of people again defied curfew Tuesday night in Kenosha, where destruction marred protests the previous night as fires were set and businesses vandalized. There were 34 fires associated with that unrest, with 30 businesses destroyed or damaged along with an unknown number of homes, Kenosha Fire Chief Charles Leipzig told the Kenosha News.

The deadly violence broke out during the third night of civil unrest since 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot at close range by city police officers, leaving him partially paralyzed.

Kenosha police are searching Wednesday for a suspect seen on video armed with a long gun after a shooting late Tuesday killed two people and wounded a third.

Officers responded at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday to reports of shots fired and multiple gunshot victims near 63rd Street and Sheridan Road. Two people were killed, and a third was hospitalized with serious, but not life-threatening injuries, the Kenosha Police Department said in a statement.

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Investigators were looking into whether the shooting unfolded as a result of a conflict that broke out between demonstrators and “self-styled militias guarding a gas station,” Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told the New York Times.

The shooting of Blake on Sunday in Kenosha — by police as three of his children looked on — was captured on cellphone video and ignited new protests over racial injustice in several cities, coming just three months after the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, an event that sparked nationwide protests and riots.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.