A Keystone of Insurrection: Pennsylvania and January 6

• In Event: State and Local Politics

Abstract

A Keystone of Insurrection: Pennsylvania and January 6th

On January 6, 2021, a mere two weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden, thousands of protestors breached the U.S. Capitol, suspending the certification of the Electoral College and upending constitutional processes and the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in history. Marking a violent, bitter and unprecedented denouement to campaign 2020, the assault beget the Justice Department’s largest investigation.

In the ensuing years, over 1,000 citizens have been charged, and Pennsylvania – the state that put Joe Biden over 270 electoral votes – ranks third in the total number of arrests. Why did denizens of the Keystone State play such a central role in the “Stop the Steal” efforts aimed at keeping Donald Trump president? What do we know about the individuals that breached the Capitol, disrupted democratic norms, and sought to block the Biden presidency? What are the professional, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the protestors? How might these dynamics help us better understand the dynamics shaping party coalitions and unconventional political behavior in a bellwether state – and what does this portend for 2024 and beyond? This paper seeks to examine these germane questions.

Author

• Kevan Yenerall, Pennsylvania Western University