Most Americans think GOP is working against democracy, want Jan 6 commission, polls show
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Topline
As Senate Republicans set to block the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan.6 attack on Capitol Hill, polls show a large majority of Americans want the commission formed and don’t believe Republicans are working to strengthen democracy.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Leaves the weekly Republican political lunch on … [+]
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Highlights
A Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday found that 59% of Americans do not believe the GOP “is acting in the best interests of democracy,” while 34% do.
64% of independents and 83% of Democrats in the poll say Republicans are not acting in the best interests of democracy, although only 16% of Republicans say the same.
In contrast, 49% of Americans polled say Democrats are not acting in the best interests of democracy, compared to 44% who say they are.
While the vast majority of GOP lawmakers oppose the commission, 56% of Americans and 58% of voters said they supported it in a YouGov /Economist survey published Wednesday.
Most Americans also don’t believe January 6 should be swept under the rug, according to the Quinnipiac poll, which found 55% believe it “should never be forgotten” while 39% said it was “time to move on”.
Large number
49%. That’s the share of adults who oppose recent election laws passed in GOP-controlled states like Georgia and Florida that Democrats have called “voter suppression,” compared to 39% who support them. However, 50% agree with the statement “it is necessary to pass new electoral laws to protect electoral integrity”, while 43% disagree.
Tangent
Even as Republican officials try to get the supreme court, who has a conservative 6-3 majority, to overturn landmark abortion decision Roe vs. Wade, most GOP voters don’t believe this will happen, according to the Quinnipiac poll. Among Republicans, 70% said they did not believe the decision will be overturned in the next few years, while 55% of Democrats said the same.
To monitor
While Republicans will likely rule out the commission, it’s still unclear what will happen next. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left the door open for a Benghazi-style select committee. Senate Minority Whip John Thune asked if the committee could return to the Senate in another form, said Forbes that Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and others “worked on this”.
