WASHINGTON — At least 357 sitting Republican state legislators in battleground states have attempted to discredit or overturn the 2020 presidential election results, according to a report by The New York Times. This amounts to 44 percent of the Republican state legislators in nine states where the presidential race was closest. These figures bolster the DLCC’s own research of Republican state legislators who participated in or aided the insurrection. The DLCC has found that 1/6 of 2020 GOP state lawmakers nationwide were complicit in the 1/6 insurrection, with at least 21 Republican state lawmakers attending the insurrection and more than 600 laying the groundwork for the attack.
“Parroting QAnon conspiracy theories about the election is no longer an anomaly in the Republican Party – it’s the norm,” said DLCC President Jessica Post. “This dangerous rhetoric has had serious consequences: an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol, the deaths of civilians and police officers, untold harm to the faith in our election systems, and legislative attacks on the freedom to vote. We must stand up to the disinformation, extremism, and violence that have become the pillars of the Republican Party’s platform by electing Democrats to statehouses across the country. State Democrats will continue to stand for the truth, defending our democracy, and delivering for working families.”
The GOP has an undeniable extremism problem that threatens the very security of our nation. Last week, a report showed that 872 Republican state legislators, which amounts to over 20% of all statehouse Republicans nationwide, are members of far-right Facebook groups on topics including questioning the 2020 presidential election, spreading COVID disinformation, anti-abortion politics, the Tea Party, and more. State Republicans across the country are turning the hate they spread online into policies that threaten our most fundamental liberties.
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