John,

Today marks one year since insurrectionists stormed our nation’s Capitol in a (thankfully) unsuccessful attempt to upend our democracy by overturning the 2020 Presidential election and blocking the transfer of power to President Biden. While some may try to twist the events of that day, here is what truthfully happened. Donald Trump lost the election by a wide margin. The outcome was scrutinized and affirmed by election officials of both parties and dozens of court decisions, including from the Supreme Court of the United States. Trump and his cronies then incited hundreds of political extremists to violently breach the Capitol in the hopes of blocking certification of President Biden’s victory and installing Trump as an unelected President. Within the chaos, five Americans lost their lives and four officers took their own lives.

In the aftermath of this disgraceful attempted coup, we have learned a lot of lessons. One of the most salient lessons being that our democracy is fragile, and we must do everything we can to defend it. We must take action to diminish the extremism and violence that has infected our politics.

The tragedy of January 6, 2021 has also demonstrated, once again, the resilience of the American people and government. My colleagues and I finished our work that day, and Joe Biden was later sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.

We will continue to uncover the truth of how and why this disgraceful insurrection occurred to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again. As I continue to strive to strengthen our democracy for future generations as your Congressman, it is important to note that all Americans have a role to play in this collective effort. Your vote matters and the American people will continue to decide who represents and leads us towards a brighter future. In anticipating midterm elections, we should have a simple, vital test for every candidate for Congress: will you uphold your oath to defend our democratic republic from all enemies, foreign or domestic - and did you do that in the face of the January 6th insurrection?

Thank you,

Jared