Donald Trump lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election. That is a fact. But it turns out acknowledging that fact might cost a Republican candidate a chance at getting elected. According to a CNN poll published this week, a majority of self-identified Republicans and right-leaning independents say that "believing that Donald Trump won the 2020 election" is an important part of what being Republican means to them.
Of the 1,050 participants in the poll, 59% of respondents indicated that believing the Big Lie should be a defining characteristic for Republicans, with more than 1 in 3 saying it is "very important." Just over 3 in 5 Republicans — 61% — said that supporting Trump is also a defining trait of their party identification. It gets worse: Even more Republicans, 63%, said they believe that Trump should be the leader of their party.
