Keller: Is Jan. 6 a topic that will work for Republicans this fall? Not in New Hampshire

The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller’s, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.

BOSTON – “Let’s not forget who assaulted democracy on January 6th – [Trump] did,” said Rep. Nancy Pelosi in her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

New Pelosi footage released

But as part of their ongoing effort to shift blame for the Capitol riot away from Donald Trump, a Republican-headed oversight committee has released previously unaired video footage of the then-House Speaker, which was turned over to Congress by HBO and obtained by CBS News. It shows a livid Pelosi citing her “responsibility” to protect the House and bemoaning the absence of National Guard troops who might have kept the Capitol Police from being overwhelmed by the mob.

The Republicans claim that proves is was Pelosi who was negligent, not Trump. But former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a member of the bipartisan commission that investigated the events of that day, said that’s false: “The DC National Guard is controlled by one person – the President of the United States.” 

Will Jan. 6 work for GOP in New Hampshire?

Is Jan. 6 a topic that can work for Republicans this fall?

At their convention, Democrats featured multiple speeches about the riot, including Capitol police officers who tried to hold off the rioters. And in the days and weeks that followed, the top Republicans in Congress took turns blaming and denouncing Trump for sparking the siege.

But instead of changing the subject, Trump has made support for the rioters a part of his campaign, promising to pardon them if elected.

And an expert on New Hampshire politics said keeping Jan. 6 front and center won’t help Trump win wavering swing voters there.

“That’s not their politics, the politics of grievance,” said UNH professor Dante Scala. “Their politics, I think, is a lot more about the politics of normalcy. People who normally vote Republican, they don’t necessarily want to rehash January 6, they’d rather put January 6 down the memory hole. The thing is, the best way to do that is to vote for Harris. The best way to do that is to turn the page.” 

Going after Pelosi will surely excite the core Trump base for whom she is a satanic figure. 

But Trump already has those voters locked up. 

The Harris campaign features the word “forward,” asking voters to move past the Trump era (and maybe the Biden era as well). But even as Trump urges voters to recall the “good old days” when he was president, Harris also wants swing voters in swing states like New Hampshire to remember days like January 6th, when Trump lived up to the nickname Niki Haley gave him during the primaries – “chaos agent.”