A Georgian charged in Jan. 6 attack wants to return to US Capitol -- as member of Congress

Some candidates might run away from their role in the violent pro-Donald Trump mob that engulfed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Chuck Hand is embracing it.

The Republican contender for a rural Georgia U.S. House seat refers to his arrest as a “nonviolent protest participation” on his campaign website. He posted on social media that he traveled to Washington that day to target the nation’s “biggest national security threat.”

And when his guilty plea and prison sentence came up during a recent debate with a trio of Republican rivals, Hand hardly blinked.

“My campaign isn’t based on Jan. 6. The only reason Jan. 6 ever comes up in the campaign is so that you three cannot throw it in my face,” he said to his opponents at the Atlanta Press Club showdown, maintaining that it won’t matter to voters.

“The people of southwest Georgia are going to hire me for this job because I’m one of them,” he said.

Whoever emerges from the May 21 primary has little shot at defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, a 16-term lawmaker whose dominant victory in 2022 over a well-funded opponent scared away more formidable challengers this cycle.

And Hand, a construction worker, is no political juggernaut. His campaign reported less than $400 in cash in its account in the most recent disclosure; he has few events on his calendar; and he stunned his opponents with a swipe at farmers during his debate.

Still, local politicos and his rivals say Hand has a solid chance to secure the GOP nod for the district, which spans parts of Albany, Columbus and Macon. There’s no clear favorite in the contest that also includes A. Wayne Johnson, Regina Liparoto and Michael Nixon.

“Anyone could win this race,” Johnson said as he was campaigning in Hand’s hometown of Butler.

On the campaign trail, Hand tells voters he isn’t focusing his bid for office on the arrest “or Donald Trump’s name.” But he doesn’t shy away from what happened.

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