Did the Televised Hearings on Jan. 6 Assault Tip Some Midterm Races to Democrats?
- Election deniers did poorly in balloting across the country
- Millions of viewers watched the hearings live over the summer
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they try to storm the US Capitol in Washington D.C, on Jan. 6.
Photographer: Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
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A House inquiry into the Capitol insurrection helped focus voters’ attention before the midterms on the risk that election deniers posed to democracy, potentially tipping key races away from GOP candidates backed by Donald Trump.
Many factors contributed to Democrats’ unexpectedly strong midterm showing on Nov. 8. But the nine televised House hearings this year averaged 13 million viewers each and dominated news coverage for weeks, highlighting the violence of Jan. 6 2021, when Trump supporters stormed Congress in a bid to overturn the 2020 election results.