Nearly a year after thousands of supporters of former President Trump stunned the nation by violently storming the US Capitol, concern remains about the current state of American politics, says political expert Michael Traugott.

The January 6 insurrection—where many voters wrongly believed there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election—was an assault on democracy not seen since the War of 1812, says Traugott, political science and research professor emeritus at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan.

What it means for politicians in both parties as they maneuver for power in the 2022 and 2024 elections remains to be seen, he says.

Here, he explains the significance of January 6, possible repercussions as we head into another election cycle, and whether such as incident could happen again:

Q: What is the historical significance of January 6?

A: Donald Trump built the “Big Lie” around a growing distrust in government and other important American institutions in a significant portion of the population, in conjunction with his interest to void an electoral result that would remove him from office.

But the real consequence of mobilizing the group that showed up in Washington, DC, was to threaten a fundamental principle of democracy—when you lose an election, you concede to your opponent. If you are an incumbent, you leave the office with grace, including attending the inauguration of the winner.

Read the full article about concerns about democracy by Jared Wadley at Futurity.