TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – Today is the second anniversary of the Capitol insurrection in Washington, D.C., an assault on the nation’s Capitol in an attempt of stop the certification of the 2020 Presidential election.
More than 900 people have been arrested so far for taking part in the violence. Some are serving jail time. Others are still awaiting trial. The police are still trying to identify hundreds more.
But none of the elected officials who may have planned or encouraged the insurrection have been held to account.
“Well, there really hasn’t been any direct accountability so far,” said Doug Cole, the Chief Operating Officer for Highground Inc, a political consulting firm.
Arizona has been a key state for those who have charged the 2020 election was stolen from Republican Donald Trump. They’ve been dubbed “election deniers.”
Arizona began down that road when it became home to the Cyber Ninjas which performed a recount of the votes, which became an international spectacle.
Several Arizona lawmakers have also been identified as participating in the planning such as Congressman Paul Gosar and Congressman Andy Biggs, although no charges have been filed. Arizona lawmakers Senate President Karen Fann and Senator-elect Jake Hoffman have been singled out as participating in a fake elector’s scheme.
“I don’t think this is something the Attorney General of the United States is going to kick the can on,” Cole said. “I think he’s going to continue investigating.”
Which means the Jan. 6 insurrection and investigation will not likely end in Arizona any time soon, in part, because there is not much daylight, if any at all, between the events of January 6th and election denialism.
“I think democracy always needs constant nurturing,” said Tom Volgy, a political science professor at the University of Arizona and former Tucson Mayor. “The optimist in me tells me this is a lesson we’ve learned and it’s not a lesson we will easily forget.”
It proved to be a lesson in the Arizona elections in 2022 as the election deniers at the top of the ticket all lost, and under the present circumstances, will be difficult for them to regain any traction.
“There is no election denier in the Governor’s office, there is no election denier in the attorney general’s office,” Volgy said. “They are the keys and any potential damage the election deniers try to do now will likely be vetoed by the governor.”
Which likely means there will be pitched battles between the parties during this legislative session. And it means the events of January 6th will continue to play a large roll in Arizona politics going forward.
“Two years later, you still have a minority that will never believe elections are fair here in Arizona and everywhere else,” Cole said. “But a majority of Arizonans and voters across the country believe our elections are fair.”
While the violence of Jan. 6, 2020 continue to garner the headlines, beneath it all, it’s the lessons learned that will hopefully continue to resonate.
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