WASHINGTON — Fueled by conspiracy theories and Trumpism, state Republicans are attacking the foundations of democracy to cement minority rule. Tactics like curtailing voting rights, undemocratically increasing the legislatures’ power, and using extreme gerrymandering are all setting Republicans up to successfully overturn future elections.
As the Republican Party becomes increasingly radicalized, they are also becoming more authoritarian. The insurrection on January 6th made it clear that QAnon, Oath Keepers, and other alt-right movements have taken root in the GOP in the states and aren’t going away anytime soon.
“Republicans were unsuccessful in overturning the 2020 presidential election results,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “Now, they’re trying to lay the groundwork to make sure they’ll succeed next time.”
HuffPost: Republican State Legislatures Are Radicalizing Against Democracy
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The GOP is ready to subvert democracy in state capitals nationwide. If Pennsylvania is any indication, Republicans could use their majorities to take a jackhammer to voting rights while curtailing the power of Democratic governors and legislators. They may even attempt to overhaul courts in a way that bends the justice system to their liking.
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The right also keeps moving farther right: Republicans in Texas and Wyoming have mentioned that they could favor secession, and while those ideas are absurd enough that they’re unlikely to go anywhere, the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol and state capitols in Michigan and Oregon ― and the adherence of Republican lawmakers to the conspiracy theories that fueled it ― is proof that a dangerous strain of extremism is not relegated to the party’s fringes but festering at its core.
That core is still in state legislatures ― in Pennsylvania, and beyond.
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