Covid public health measures such as vaccination and mask wearing have become a culture war issue for the political right. There is a massive upswing in the delta variant among deep red states. The death tolls are once again spiking, mostly among the unvaccinated, with no signs of slowing down. Many Republican politicians and pundits are still discouraging their constituents and viewers from taking measures that could protect themselves.

Could this result in a disproportionately large number of Republicans dying from Covid? Might some voters feel betrayed as the data becomes better understood, resulting in them changing political allegiances? Could the totality of this effect result in a shift in the political landscape in the US over the next few election cycles?

Topics: politics, health, elections, demographics, covid