Will January 6 hearings impact midterm votes?

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - January 6, 2021 has been on the airwaves for months in part because of the House committee tasked with investigating the attack.

But do how much do voters care about the hearings?

George Washington professor Todd Belt said polling shows the topic helps Democrats but not by much.

“I think it is a positive impact for Democrats, but I think it is at the margins, and I think it contributes to the same idea that this election is about the future of Democracy,” Belt said.

Siena College, which conducts polls with the New York Times, said they don’t poll for January 6 specifically, but they do ask voters if they believe democracy is under threat.

“Over 70 percent of members of each party say yes, I think our democracy is under threat,” Siena Director Don Levy said.

But that hasn’t translated to making it a top priority. Levy said concerns over “threat to democracy” is just one of many issues voters rank far behind the economy in terms of importance.

“Well over 50 percent of voters say, ‘That’s my first issue.’ When we say, what’s your top two? It’s the economy. It’s the economy. It’s the economy.”

Belt says the relatively minor impact of January 6 on voters will probably not greatly impact Senate races, where candidate quality matters more, but it could energize voters in House races.

“Particularly Democratic voters, and some of those never Trump Republicans, who probably would have sat this one out, who might be enough to actually tilt the needle in some key races.”

Levy said crime, access to abortion, and depending on location, immigration policy, are other secondary issues to the economy in the midterms.