The midterm election was an unequivocal victory for liberal democracy in America. The most prominent 2020 election deniers lost, and lacked either the ability or the nerve to bring their partisans out on the street to overturn the results. Does that mean the danger is over?
No, for two reasons. First, as I noted in a series about a year ago, the real risk of a truly rigged election is at the state legislature level, and the “independent state legislature theory” is alive and well at the Supreme Court until proven otherwise. Second, Trump has a unique emotional connection with the violent right-wing extremists, and the presidency, unlike any other state or federal office, is worth an insurrection, from the reactionary point of view.
In short, this story won’t be over until we see what happens in 2024.