Expert: ‘Georgia Indictment is the Most Politically Dangerous’

Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus, director of media relations, Emily_GowdeyBackus@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, assistant director of media relations, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Former President Donald Trump’s indictment regarding his alleged effort to invalidate Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results “is the most politically dangerous” for him, according to John Cluverius, UMass Lowell political science professor and polling expert.

A Fulton County grand jury Monday night issued a 41-count indictment charging Trump and 18 others for violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in connection with efforts to have him declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Among the alleged co-conspirators are Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former U.S. Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and legal advisers John Eastman and Sidney Powell.

An indictment is a jury’s determination that enough evidence exists to charge a potential defendant with a crime. The Georgia indictment marks the fifth time in the past six months a state or federal grand jury in four separate cases has voted to move forward with charges against Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race. 

“Of all Donald Trump’s legal issues, the Georgia indictment is the most politically dangerous. It’s another reminder to Georgia voters, particularly those in the suburbs, that Trump tried to steal the 2020 election and subvert their fairly counted ballots,” said Cluverius, director of survey research at the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion.

“Voter suppression and election subversion make affected voters extremely angry. Georgia is one of the few states with popular Republican leadership that stood up to Trump’s election lies. In a close election, you need every vote you can get, and Georgia voters who may have given Trump a second chance before this indictment are a lot less likely to do so in the 2024 race.” 

Cluverius is available to discuss:

An expert in research methods and state and local politics, Cluverius is an associate professor in UMass Lowell’s political science department. To arrange an interview with him, contact Emily Gowdey-Backus or Nancy Cicco.