BY NBC NEWS
Washington, DC Officer Harry Dunn of the Capitol Police met a violent throng of supporters of former President Donald Trump almost three years ago. He now aspires to become one of the many MPs he has worked to defend both on that day and in the years afterward.
Dunn began his candidacy in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District on Friday, the eve of the anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol assault. He entered a heated Democratic primary to succeed retiring Democratic Representative John Sarbanes.
Prior to making his declaration on Thursday, Dunn said over the phone that “it’s evident how much of a threat the extinction of our democracy is—it’s very present right now” because of what occurred on January 6 and all that followed.
He said, “I really think that our democracy is on the verge of extinction after just one more election cycle.”
In the months after the Capitol riot, Dunn, a 15-year-old member of the U.S. Capitol Police Department, narrated how he was physically assaulted and subjected to racist epithets from the crowd.
 a former Capitol Police officer At the House Jan. 6 committee’s first hearing, Dunn gave a moving speech and was often vocal about his and other officers’ experiences that day. In an effort to promote accountability, he authored a book last autumn and took part in many congressional hearings.
Dunn has also been a regular in the federal courtroom, located not far from the Capitol, where he has been in court on several occasions and provided testimony in some of the more than 1,200 cases involving Jan. 6 suspects that are pending.
A former Capitol Police officer, Dunn, testified during the Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy trial in 2022, and he and a few other cops were during former President Donald Trump’s first court appearance in his prosecution on January 6, which took place throughout the summer.
“Dozens of our officers are down.” Stretchers are being used to remove them. Dunn addressed rioters in a video shown to the jury in the Oath Keepers case, saying, “Y’all are f—ing us up.”
 a former Capitol Police officer During the trial, Dunn said, “I was distressed, I was angry, and I was scared.” “During the event, surviving was the only priority.”
After January 6, Dunn said it was hard to put on his police uniform and go to the Capitol, where he had gone through trauma that still haunts him. But when he considered whether to run for Congress, that experience was also one of his main sources of inspiration.
“As a Capitol Police officer, I was very limited to what I could do, to what I could say, and to the criticisms of members who I protected and who I disagreed with,” Dunn said on Thursday.
“What more can I do that I haven’t done already as a police officer?” Later, Dunn added. “So now that I’m running, I get to sit at the table with them. Maybe I’m just a bothersome talking head now, but we can now work together as equals. Furthermore, I cannot be disregarded in that manner since I have a voice and a vote.”
A former Capitol Police officer, Dunn, who quit the Capitol Police on December 17, will need to win the district’s Democratic primary, which is already crowded, in order to become that colleague. The seat is located south of Baltimore. At least one state lawmaker is among the ten Democratic contenders who have officially declared, and more may enter the contest.
“I am very grateful for all of their efforts. We all have the same beliefs, in my opinion,” Dunn said. “But I think I am the best candidate for this position right now because I have literally spent the last 15 years of my life defending democracy.”
 a former Capitol Police officer In November, the winner of the Democratic primary would be the favorite. Based on estimations from the Daily Kos Elections, Sarbanes won a ninth term in 2022 by 20 percentage points, while President Joe Biden carried the 3rd District by 26 points in 2020.
Dunn said he will relocate to the district if elected, even though he does not already reside there.
When asked which concerns unique to Maryland he intends to highlight in his campaign, Dunn mentioned crime and mental health as well as infrastructure, citing the gridlock to get to Baltimore. However, he said that his campaign would primarily concentrate on a larger range of topics, including gun control and abortion.
“Democracy is my platform,” said Dunn.
