Patrick Schmidt watched the attack on the U.S. Capitol unfold on Jan. 6. He was stationed in Washington, D.C. as an intelligence officer with the Navy.
“I think if you weren’t there, it is hard to grasp the magnitude of what happened that day,” he told a group of Allen County Democrats and guests at a meet-and-greet event in Iola on Monday evening.
He described the smell of tear gas and bear spray supporters of then-President Donald Trump used to overwhelm police and government officers in an attempt to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as president.
“The only thing Congressional Republicans and the previous administration’s enablers learned that day is that they didn’t go far enough,” he said.
That event prompted Schmidt, a Kansas native, to run for Congress when his Naval service ended and he moved to Topeka. He’s challenging freshman Rep. Jake LaTurner to represent Kansas’ 2nd District.
He met with about a dozen Democrats on Monday to talk about some of the issues on his platform, which include making the child tax credit permanent and expanding it, funding universal preschool, making health care more affordable, protecting U.S. interests from China and foreign hackers, ensuring free and fair elections, protecting Kansas workers and rebuilding infrastructure.
Schmidt used the event to listen to the concerns of others as much as give his own opinions.
Repeatedly, Schmidt’s answers came back to one thing: Tell the truth.
“My parents raised me to mean what I say,” he said.
Schmidt said he believes Republicans are downplaying what happened at the Capitol in order to protect their own interests.
“They came this close to overthrowing the government and they want to tell you that’s OK. It’s not OK. It’s the biggest threat Kansas and our country are facing. And if we don’t reconcile this, we won’t be able to get anything else done.”
He accused LaTurner and other Republicans of “recycling the same failed economic policies” that prevent action on things Kansans need.
“There are alternatives. Invest in infrastructure. Invest in kids. Expand Medicaid. Invest in communities like Allen County.”
AMONG the topics covered:
Infrastructure
