Democrats are using January 6 to hammer the GOP in state legislative races in a push to flip key seats

• Democrats person leaned into nan rumor of populist successful nan 2024 statesmanlike election.
• The statement is besides utilizing nan January 6 riot and its aftermath successful captious authorities legislative races.
• The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is revving up its push against 2020 predetermination deniers.

Many voters person travel to deliberation of nan Jan. 6, 2021, riot astatine nan US Capitol arsenic an rumor tied to nan 2020 predetermination and to lawmakers successful Washington, DC. This year, it's besides shaping up to specify respective important authorities legislative races crossed nan country.

As Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned successful Michigan and Wisconsin successful caller days, ex-GOP congresswoman Liz Cheney stood by her broadside to make a lawsuit arsenic to why voters should cull erstwhile President Donald Trump's candidacy.

"Donald Trump is doing everything he tin to effort to get group to hide astir what he did connected January 6th," Cheney said during an quality successful Royal Oak, Michigan. "And erstwhile you deliberation astir that level of instability, nan level of erratic decision-making, nan misogyny, that's not personification that you tin entrust pinch nan powerfulness of nan Oval Office."

"So, I deliberation that we are facing a prime successful this election," she continued. "It's not astir party; it's astir correct and wrong."

Less than 2 weeks earlier Election Day, nan Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is revving up its push to conclusion sitting GOP lawmakers and Republican candidates who either backed Trump's predetermination denialism aliases were coming successful Washington connected Jan. 6 erstwhile galore of nan then-president's supporters stormed nan Capitol building. The DLCC has a peculiar attraction connected states wherever voting-related protests erupted successful nan lead-up to nan Capitol riot.

"As we attack nan first statesmanlike predetermination since nan events of January 6th, 2021, authorities legislatures stay nan building blocks of American democracy," Heather Williams, nan president of nan DLCC, told Business Insider successful a statement.

A attraction connected Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania

The DLCC is backing Democrats successful respective states — pinch a peculiar spotlight connected Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin — wherever candidates are going up against Republicans that nan statement said had "led nan battle connected antiauthoritarian institutions and voting access."

The DLCC is particularly looking to make gains successful authorities legislatures successful Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The GOP narrowly controls nan Arizona legislature. Michigan has afloat Democratic power and Pennsylvania has a Democratic authorities House majority.

One of nan highlighted Democratic candidates is Arizona authorities Senate campaigner Judy Schwiebert, who is moving against GOP authorities Sen. Shawnna Bolick successful a Maricopa County-anchored legislative seat. After nan 2020 statesmanlike election, Bolick signed connected to a letter asking then-Vice President Mike Pence not to certify nan predetermination successful Arizona and different plaything states wherever Republicans pointed to "well-founded accusations of electoral management mismanagement."

In 2020, now-President Joe Biden won Arizona by a small complete 10,000 votes retired of astir 3.4 cardinal ballots cast, a Democratic Party triumph that galore Arizona Republicans proceed to doubt. (There was no grounds of wide fraud successful nan 2020 predetermination successful Arizona.)

Another campaigner nan DLCC has promoted is Ashwin Ramaswami, a 25-year-old Georgia Democrat who is moving successful nan suburban Atlanta-anchored 48th Senate territory against Republican incumbent Shawn Still.

Still was 1 of 18 individuals who were indicted by Fulton County alongside Trump connected charges of predetermination interference successful nan 2020 race.

Last year, Still's lawyer successful a tribunal filing based on that nan authorities lawmaker was "acting astatine nan guidance of nan incumbent president of nan United States." Still has maintained his innocence successful nan case.

Georgia, of course, was nan tract of perhaps Trump's biggest challenge to nan 2020 predetermination results. Biden won Georgia narrowly, edging retired Trump by little than 12,000 votes retired of astir 5 cardinal ballots. Trump was unsuccessful successful his attempts to seduce GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to thief him overturn nan statewide result.

"In 2020, MAGA friends successful nan states were instrumental to Trump's crippled to overturn nan elections — from helping shape section protests to sponsoring authorities to situation predetermination results," Williams said successful nan connection to BI. "Legislative power successful cardinal battleground states could travel down to conscionable hundreds of votes this year, which will successful move determine whether our elections and populist prevail."