Perhaps most concerning, a survey published last fall found that 80% of Biden voters and 84% of Trump voters view elected officials from the other party as “presenting a clear and present danger to American Democracy.” It also reported that 41% of Biden voters and 52% of Trump voters favor red or blue states seceding from the Union to form their own separate country, with 30% Republicans and 11% of Democrats ready to resort to violence to save the country. That is approximately 20 million Americans ready to fight in a country with 400-plus million guns. And this data was collected before the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the recent FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, both of which are currently being weaponized by political pundits.
The article itself is worth reading (from the standpoint of a conflict-resolution professional).
To address your quote from the article, and the theme of the OP -- money is ultimately what drives elections; money is needed for political advertisements, and for get-out-the-vote/voter outreach efforts. The most effective way to get money is to scare people into sending money; this is often done by describing the election as very important, and by labeling their opponents as extremists.
