A former West Virginia state delegate who served three months in prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot announced that he will be running for Congress in 2024.
Derrick Evans made the announcement on the second anniversary of the attack because Jan. 6 should be a “day to celebrate.”
“Today, I am officially announcing my campaign for the United States House of Representatives,” Evans wrote on Twitter. “I was previously held captive as a #J6 #PoliticalPrisoner. I’m proud to be America First & I will stand with the Freedom Caucus.”
Evans told NBC News that he chose Jan. 6 to announce his bid for Congress because “it is an important anniversary in U.S. history. While my name will indelibly be part of it, we should also use as a chance to remind ourselves about why democracy is so important and how easily it can be threatened.”
Among his top issues are election integrity, energy independence and border security.
Evans livestreamed himself among the mob of Trump supporters clashing with police on Jan. 6 .
“We’re taking this country back whether you like it or not! … Shame on all of you! … You listen to your liberal mayor instead of the Constitution … Patriots ain’t being quiet anymore,” he said in the livestream. “Patriots ain’t gonna stand down to tyranny anymore! Patriots ain’t gonna stand down for stolen elections anymore!”
“I bet Trump would pardon anybody who gets arrested for goin’ in there,” he added.
He continued to livestream himself inside the Capitol and at one point shouted, “Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”. He resigned as a delegate of Wayne County, West Virginia three days later.
He served three months in jail after pleading guilty to a felony for impeding, obstructing or interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder.
Evans plan to challenge Rep. Carol Miller (R-W. Va) in the GOP primaries in 2024 to represent the state’s first district in the United States Congress.
On Friday, Evans said Miller “does not represent the America First agenda which has left me with no other option, but to give the people of West Virginia a true conservative choice on the ballot.”
