Where was your favorite Republican on January 6, 2021?
And what does it mean for the future of American free and fair elections?
Ahead of the January 6 Committee hearings, it’s important to remember two things:
- The violent riot was a planned insurrection, coordinated by Republican Party members and right-wing extremists, to overthrow democracy and illegally install a failed candidate as president.
- Many Republicans were there in person, and have actively worked to downplay the violence of an event in which they gladly participated.
As a reminder, here’s a list of Republican statewide candidates across the country who were in attendance on the day of the attack on our nation:
Mark Finchem, Arizona Secretary of State candidate
Joey Gilbert, Nevada gubernatorial candidate
Ron Hanks, Colorado U.S. Senate candidate
Ryan Kelley, Michigan gubernatorial candidate
Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania gubernatorial nominee
Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General
While Colorado’s Ron Hanks is the only Republican U.S. Senate candidate currently known to have crossed police lines that day, he isn’t the only one who’s faced scrutiny over his actions on January 6.
During the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Georgia Republicans’ U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker was tweeting out conspiracy theories about the election, including baselessly claiming that the Capitol attackers were crisis actors. He still hasn’t disavowed those tweets, which remain posted on his campaign account.
North Carolina Republicans’ U.S. Senate nominee Ted Budd has downplayed the lethal violence at that Capitol as “nothing” and “just patriots standing up.” And Budd that day “voted to overturn presidential election results” — even “after a mob of Trump supporters rioted.”
In at least seven states across the country, candidates will be on every ballot who sided with violence and terror over our Constitution and our shared values as Americans. It should not be forgotten when Americans go to vote in November.
