CHICAGO (AP) — For years, Republicans have sought to win over voters by depicting Democratic-led cities as lawless centers of violence that need tough-on-crime policies. In Chicago, some of the Democrats running for mayor are deploying the same strategy as they debate how to make the city safer. One leading candidate touts his endorsement from the Chicago police union and says the city needs hundreds more officers. Even incumbent Lori Lightfoot has used language right out of the GOP playbook, accusing a top rival of wanting to defund the police. The nation’s third-largest city is just the latest Democratic stronghold where public safety has become a top election issue.