WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican Party’s self-portrayal as champions of law and order is colliding with searing testimony from police officers themselves. Officers on Tuesday described in vivid, personal terms the terror of defending the U.S. Capitol from violent insurrectionists inspired by then-president Donald Trump on Jan. 6.

Will it matter in next year’s elections?

Heading into the 2022 midterms, the GOP is seeking political advantage in Americans’ concern about rising crime nationwide. But the police testimony at Tuesday’s debut hearing of the congressional panel investigating the insurrection could undercut that effort.

It highlighted the GOP’s effort to brush past the violence unleashed by a mob of Trump’s supporters that endangered hundreds of officers.

“You’re talking about people who claim that they are pro-law enforcement, pro-police, pro-law and order,” said Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell. “Yet when they have the chance and the opportunity to do something about it, to hold people accountable, you don’t, you pass the bucket, like nothing happened.”

The hearing brought greater focus to how the debate over who’s stronger or weaker on crime may unfold in elections. Republicans eager to pounce on Democrats may find themselves facing questions about whether the GOP did enough to stand up for law enforcement when put to the test.

Longtime GOP strategist Scott Jennings, who said it was hard to watch the officers’ testimony and not feel “outraged” and “disgusted,” said he expects crime to be “a massive issue” in the upcoming midterm contests. And while he expects Democrats to remain on the defensive, he said Republicans’ response to Jan. 6 had given Democrats an opening “to distract from some of their real shortcomings.”

“Republicans are certain to attack Democrats over what we would say are efforts to undermine the police. And Democrats are certain then to parry those attacks with, ‘Well you weren’t so pro-police when it comes to Jan 6,”’ he said. “When you’re thinking about campaign messaging, it just sort of makes it less clean.”

Republicans are struggling to form an effective response to the testimony. The two GOP members of the panel, Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming, are participating over the objection of their party’s leaders.

Republicans are ultimately working to avoid angering Trump, who remains popular among many GOP voters.