In the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, some news organizations and pundits jumped onto the convenient narrative that large numbers of registered Republicans were suddenly leaving the party. But as others pointed out at the time, it was still too early to draw definitive conclusions.
It turned out that the hesitancy was well founded. As more states published updated voter registration numbers, it became apparent that the predicted flood of voters abandoning the GOP was, at best, no more than a modest stream.
Although reports of the death of the Republican Party were greatly exaggerated (or, really, entirely unfounded), it’s true that the number of Republicans deciding to change their party affiliation was greater than normal — at least briefly. It’s possible they were spurred on by some combination of Donald Trump’s loss, attempted subversion of the 2020 election and some GOP members’ support for the impeachment and removal of the former president. Continue reading.