Harry Dunn, the now former Capitol Police officer, says he is running for Congress largely due to the violent and deadly events that unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
“I was on the front lines. I saw the carnage and…how close we came to not certifying the election for the first time in American history,” said Dunn, vying for the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District.
“I don’t have the ability to sit back and wait and see what’s going to happen,” he told theGrio.
Dunn announced his bid for Congress on the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, where a violent mob comprised of supporters for former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the transfer of power from the then-Republican president to his 2020 Democratic opponent President-elect Joe Biden.
The former Capitol police officer, who risked his life to defend the institution and its members, said the violent riot was “the catalyst that put me in this moment.”
“All my life, I’ve had the mindset and heart of a public servant,” said Dunn. “For the last 15-plus years, I’ve been a public servant, serving Congress.”
When U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., announced that he would not seek reelection in October, Dunn said he “provided an opportunity to replace Sarbanes with another warrior for justice.”
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., praised Dunn as “an exemplary public servant to show tremendous courage and valiance on Jan. 6 and then after Jan. 6 in holding Congress to account.”
Rankin told theGrio, “There’s a great field of candidates out there, and the voters are lucky to have such great choices and to have him part of the field.”
U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said in a statement provided to theGrio, “Mr. Dunn will make a good candidate. His experience as a Capitol Police officer will serve him well.”
Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross said Dunn has “devoted his life to protecting democracy.”
“This is someone who still sees an America worth fighting for,” she said of Dunn, despite being ridiculed and receiving threats across social media for his testimony in the House Jan. 6 committee hearing.
Cross said Dunn’s run “shows that he really cares about where this nation is going,” adding, “That says something.”
If elected, the Maryland native plans to tackle police reform and gun control, two key issues that have stalled in the House and Senate in recent years.
Dunn said that just because members of Congress failed to pass police and gun reform legislation, it “doesn’t mean the problem of police brutality and the need for police reform goes away.”
“We need to elect people that will bring the issues to the floor [and] pass them,” he said. “I definitely am a champion for police reform and commonsense gun reform.”
He continued, “We need to find a place where we can balance the Second Amendment with common sense.”
If elected, the former Capitol Police officer plans to also turn his attention to the issues of infrastructure, inflation, crime, and reproductive rights.
“Crime is on the rise. We need to get that under control, and that is not saying putting people in jail,” he said. “We need to get to the root cause of the problem and find ways to get individuals that are committing these crimes off the streets and put them in the best position to be successful.”
The Congressional candidate also has his sights set on tackling mental health issues.
“I will work as hard as I can to be a champion for reducing the stigma of mental health,” he said. “We need to take care of each other and see each other as people and realize that it’s OK to not be OK.”
If Dunn comes out victorious in the Democratic primary and wins the Congressional seat, he would serve in Congress alongside Republican members who are election deniers and Trump supporters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“For the past 15 years, I’ve protected those types of people,” he said. “You know what? That’s what democracy is. Election denial isn’t illegal and they have a right to say stuff, even that it’s a lie.”
However, he told theGrio, “It’s important to have individuals to push back against them and set the record straight with truth.”
“We need individuals to have seats at the table,” said Dunn, who said that if elected to Congress, he “won’t be overlooked.”
“I won’t be dismissed as an angry leftist with an agenda. I am your equal. I will be your colleague. And I won’t work for you – I will work with you,” he added.
Dunn said he wants his prospective constituents in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District to know he’s “a regular guy who wants to help people out.”
“I’m a proud father – a girl dad – who just wants to be a vessel to give people that don’t have a voice amplification,” he shared.
“One of my friends is a judge, and I heard him say recently that people want three things…to be seen, to be heard, and to be respected,” he added. “I believe in all of those things.”
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