Reeher Discusses Declining Interest in the Jan. 6 Hearing in Washington Times Article

June 9, 2022

The Washington Times

Grant Reeher

Political Science Department

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

Congress

Government

United States

The Washington Times

Grant Reeher

The Jan. 6 committee hearing takes place tonight and will be aired live during prime time. The committee plans to introduce previously unseen material and will provide the American people an initial summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power. But the event is competing for the attention of voters who are more concerned with soaring gas prices, inflation and a shortage of baby formula, among other issues.

Aside from declining interest in holding Mr. Trump culpable, many voters have simply moved on during the often turbulent 17 months since the riot, says Professor Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

“There’s just a lot going on, and there are a lot of uncertainties with the economy—gas prices, inflation,” Reeher says. “The other big thing…is the question of whether we’re going to go into a recession, how deep that recession will be, whether we may end up in a situation of ‘stagflation.’ Those are all really big things. And I think that will have the effect of dampening the intensity of the interest on this [hearing].”

Read more in the Washington Times article, "Fewer Americans blame Jan. 6 riot on Trump."