Former Capitol Police officers are working as hard-working campaign representatives for Harris

At 6 feet 7 inches, former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn had to bow slightly as he spoke under the navy blue canopy, greeting Democratic Party volunteers with a “What's up?” When he spoke in Gaston County, North Carolina, earlier this month, the former James Madison University football player was a familiar face to the crowd.

Speaking to volunteers preparing to go door-to-door for Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates, Dunn said his campaign efforts this year had been an attempt to “turn lemons into lemonade.” He was referring to the Riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Dunn recounted his efforts to repel the rioting crowd that day. He said rioters hurled racist epithets at him and he experienced trauma from that day on. He told North Carolina Democrats that all the police officers who responded on January 6 were heroes.

The crowd applauded as Dunn said, “The most important thing we have to do is stop Donald Trump.” The former president continues to make baseless claims about the Capitol insurrection and the Election 2020.

Since the January 6 insurrection, Dunn has testified before Congress and in court for some of the prosecutions of the January 6 defendants and has written a book about his experiences. His increasing fame has made him a popular surrogate for candidates – in league with some Democratic governors and congressmen.

Days after his trip to North Carolina, Dunn traveled to Freeport, New York, and found himself under the management of an old restaurant that had been converted into a makeshift campaign office for congressional candidate Laura Gillen. She is a Democrat trying to win a Republican-held U.S. House seat on Long Island. Her team called on Dunn to help mobilize party volunteers.

That same week, he was on stage speaking to Democratic activists in Nevada, and here his remarks were a little sharper.

“I’m proud to stop this m*er,” an acronym for a vulgarity used by former President Donald Trump.

Dunn and his former colleague, retired Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, have become popular and increasingly ubiquitous Democratic campaign surrogates as the election approaches. In the four years since the Jan. 6 riots, Gonell, like Dunn, has become a vocal critic of Trump's actions after the 2020 election and also testified at the Jan. 6 House hearings.

Democratic candidates benefit from this. Gonell told CBS News: “I've been to Arizona, Nevada and the Pennsylvania state legislature. I crisscrossed Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.”

Gonell, who retired after suffering injuries to his foot and shoulder at the hands of rioters during the insurrection, has recorded a new campaign ad for Vice President Kamala Harris. In the ad, Gonell looks directly into the camera and refers to the rioters and Trump: “Donald Trump calls them warriors. And to those of us who defended the Capitol, he insults us. And that is the difference. The oath we took to defend our Capitol.” We don’t take democracy seriously.

Gonell told CBS News that he will also be used to mobilize Latino voters in Pennsylvania. Democratic pollster Matt Barreto posted on social media about Gonell's advocacy for Harris. “In all of our research, undecided Latino voters tell us that Trump’s support of January 6 is a bridge too far,” he wrote. Both Dunn and Gonell also attended and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Dunn told CBS News: “For so many people, January 6th is a front-line issue. One of the reasons it's relevant is that Donald Trump keeps bringing it up. Republicans say Democrats need to get over it. But Donald Trump brings it up.” At any rally, I would love nothing more than to not have to talk about January 6th.

During a campaign stop to support Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego, Dunn sat at a table in an Arizona bookstore and spoke about the injuries suffered by some of the more than 140 officers injured on Jan. 6. As cameras recorded the incident, Dunn Gallego accused opponent Kari Lake of perpetuating the kind of election denial that led to the Capitol siege.

Gonell, who testified at the Jan. 6 trials and sentencing hearings of defendants, criticizes Trump allies for calling the Jan. 6 rioters “peaceful protesters” and Trump for his recent claim that the Capitol insurrection was been a “day of love.”

Gonell told CBS News, “I told my story and reminded people of the impact of Jan. 6,” when he was struck on the front lines of the attack in a Capitol tunnel.

“I just do what I can to hold people accountable,” he said.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who served on the Jan. 6 House committee and is running for a U.S. Senate seat, has received campaign support from Gonell. In a campaign fundraising appeal, Gonell praised Schiff, writing that he had “fought tirelessly to reveal the truth about the January 6 insurrection and to ensure that those who incited violence against our country are held accountable.” be drawn.”

Gonell told CBS News he expects to finish the campaign season with voter outreach in Latino communities in Pennsylvania.

Schiff told CBS News: “Sgt. Gonell is using his voice to encourage Americans to vote to protect our democracy in this crucial election. And I will always be deeply grateful for his efforts to keep me and my colleagues – Democrats and Republicans – safe on January 6th and his courage and commitment on one of the darkest days in our country’s history.”

Dunn, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for a U.S. House seat in Maryland in May, has also launched a political action committee to offer fundraising and support for Democratic candidates. Gillen, the Long Island Democrat seeking New York's 4th District seat, recently received Dunn's endorsement.

Dunn has also pushed back against Trump's recent claims about the attack on the Capitol in cable news interviews.

“I'm not going to let people just lie and say it was a 'day of love' or that it wasn't a big deal,” he said.

Another former official who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6 advocated for this in the run-up to the election. is a former Washington, DC police officer Michael Fanonewho says he is not affiliated with a political campaign but has helped an organization that advocates for elected leaders to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

The organization Courage for America confirmed that Fanone and Gonell attended nearly 50 events around the country focused on the upcoming election. Fanone has also been tasked with public relations and interviews in local and national media to share his experiences with the attack on the Capitol, which refute claims made by some Republicans Trump that it was a peaceful and patriotic protest.

Fanone was beaten unconscious and abused by a group of rioters, one of whom was accused of stealing his badge and radio during the attack.

“It's nice to see that there are people from all walks of life and across the country who are as concerned about the future of democracy as I am,” Fanone said.

Fanone, who also testified before the select committee on Jan. 6, told CBS News: “We have really lost something as a country that may not be for a generation to get back. We have lost compassion and empathy and the ability to be polite to each other.”