Capitol police officer Harry Dunn, Jan. 6
by Sharelle Burt

January 5, 2024

Former Capitol Police Officer Who Faced Insurrectionists Announces Bid For Congress

Dunn is running for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District on the Democratic ticket.

On the eve of the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, former Capitol police officer Harry Dunn has announced his bid for Congress, NBC News reported.

Dunn is running for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District on the Democratic ticket, eyeing the seat of retiring Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes. In his dramatic campaign video, posted on X/Twitter, the 15-year-veteran staged a reenactment of what he experienced on that day. He takes potential voters back, reminding them that lawmakers protected by himself and fellow officers, went against them and voted to acquit Trump. “Today, I’m running for Congress to stop Trump’s MAGA extremists & ensure it never happens again,” Dunn said.

For months after the attack, Dunn told the story of officers who died, along with his experience of being physically attacked and having racial slurred thrown at him by the mob. According to CNN, Dunn spoke with The New York Times about how more than 20 people called him the N-word, including one woman yelling, “This [slur] voted for Joe Biden!”

“A lot of us Black officers fought a different battle than everybody else fought,” Dunn said. “That’s when I said, ‘Is this America?’ and I started crying. Tears are coming down my face. ‘Is this America?’”

He delivered emotional testimony during the House’s Jan. 6 committee inaugural hearing and showed up to Trump’s first court appearance in his Jan. 6 prosecution. Dunn exuded bravery when he testified during the Oath Keepers conspiracy trial in 2022. “I was distressed, I was angry, and I was scared,” Dunn testified during the trial. “During the event, it was just about surviving.”

Dunn having his eye on Congress shouldn’t come as a shock. He first hinted at a bid on X/Twitter after Sarbanes announced in October 2023 that he wouldn’t seek reelection. “I see there is going to be an open Congressional seat in Maryland,” he tweeted with a google eyed emoji.

If Dunn wins his election, he will become the second member of Congress who has served as a Capitol Hill Police officer. The first, the late Harry Reid, became Senate majority leader.

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