One year ago today, Americans watched as a mob of Trump supporters turned the simple formality of certifying the results of the 2020 election into a full-blown insurrection, storming the capitol, assaulting and killing police officers, and vandalizing everything in their path.
Donald Trump and his army of enablers are entirely responsible for the events of January 6th, 2021. We witnessed the deadly consequences of unchecked lies and a refusal to accept simple, verifiable truths.
When the dust settled, there was one clear choice for our elected representatives – to verify the election results and clear away any suspicion of fraud – to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as Congress has done for hundreds of years.
Here's what our representative, Lee Zeldin, chose to do instead: As a member of Congress representing Long Island, Zeldin decided to stand by the insurrectionists and Donald Trump. As our voice in Congress, he stood in front of the nation and voted against verifying the election results, absurdly citing what he called “evidence-filled issues."
Zeldin calls himself a patriot, but after watching capitol police officers be beaten, maimed, and even killed defending our democracy, he continued to fan the flames of disinformation and even voted against the bipartisan commission to investigate the attack.
When we reflect on the events of January 6th, we need to remember that many of our own leaders were a part of the attack on American democracy. We deserve better than Zeldin, better than any Trump-loving sycophant.
In 2022, it's our mission to flip this seat and defend our democracy from those who care more about maintaining power than healing our nation.
Kara Hahn is a lifelong Long Islander, social worker, county legislator, and candidate for Congress in NY-01. This open seat is a must win for Democrats to defend our majority in the House and continue driving progress in America, but we can't do it without your help. Make a recurring donation to sustain our movement for the long haul and send Kara to Congress!
