According to one analysis by political news site FiveThirtyEight, of the 552 Republican nominees running for office, 199 fully denied the outcome of the 2020 election by either stating publicly that it was stolen or by acting to overturn the results.

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If just some of these candidates get into office, the consequences could be startling.

An election-denying secretary of state, for instance, could refuse to certify the results of an election that she or he believes is fraudulent. A state governor – the equivalent of Australia’s state premiers – could submit electoral votes that defy the will of the people.

And without rigorous safeguards, a Congress stacked with election deniers could help Trump – or any other fellow election denier – to overturn a future presidential election if they didn’t like the result.

“As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America, for governor, Congress, attorney general, secretary of state, who... will not commit to accepting the results of the elections that they’re running in,” Biden said.

“This is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it’s un-American.”

Biden’s speech was a late addition to his campaign schedule, although White House insiders insist it was something he has been considering for some time.

But the attack on Paul Pelosi, coupled with the more than 10-fold increase in violence towards members of Congress since Trump was elected in 2016 is believed to have brought the issue to fore.

Nonetheless, the speech was a gamble for Biden, with top Democratic officials, strategists and voters increasingly concerned that the party has not done enough to deliver a coherent campaign pitch on the economy, allowing Republicans to blame the president for soaring petrol prices and inflation woes.

While Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is now trying to curb 40-year-high inflation rates amid criticism he was slow to respond last year, some Democrats have urged restraint amid fears that aggressive monetary policy could trigger a recession.

In a recent Monmouth University poll, about 46 per cent of Americans said inflation was an extremely important issue to them – up from 37 per cent in September and far outpacing any other issue.

“President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite—because he can’t talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living,” tweeted Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy, who will likely take over from Nancy Pelosi as speaker if the tide turns next week. “The American people aren’t buying it.”

In the battleground of Nevada this week, Democrat voter Hjorgy Wagner told The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age: “I know that we have inflation and I know prices are higher. But that is a temporary situation that is exaggerated by the Republican Party. What I’m concerned about is some of the long-term effects of other things, such as abortion rights, Social Security, or Medicare being wound back.”

Others, such a Georgia resident David Sandor, a Republican, took a much different view.

“Inflation and the cost of everything has gone up,” said the Atlanta-based father of two. “You have to start thinking of trade-offs just to manage - like whether to travel for the holiday season or whether you should go out to eat - but Biden doesn’t seem to get it.”

with Bloomberg

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