Heather Mizeur, Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland’s First District, today issued the following statement in response to Rep. Andy Harris’ (R-MD) vote on awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Departments:
“Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to award Congressional Gold Medals — one of our country’s highest civilian honors — to the Capitol Police and the DC police, in gratitude for their heroic work on January 6.
“The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, with 413 members voting to honor the officers who defended members of Congress and our Capitol building against insurrectionists on that terrible day.
“Andy Harris voted no.
“Maybe this shouldn’t surprise us since he refused to acknowledge the outcome of the presidential election and instead repeated the ‘Big Lie’ that incited the attack on our democracy.
“But by any measure, this is an extremist position that disgraces our district. Many of those Capitol Police officers are Marylanders. All of them are heroes.
“Harris is picking sides here, and he has chosen to stand with a violent mob of insurrectionists over those on the front lines who defended his own life that day.
“Like any true patriot who loves and will defend this country and its values, I watched the events of January 6 in horror. The anger I felt that day propelled me into this race. The anger I feel in this moment tells me it was the right decision.
“We need a change. Anger, when coupled with wise action, can fuel important transformations.
“I’m in this race to shift the culture and language of our political discourse and to give people an opportunity to vote for dignified representation that reflects the best of who we are.”
“I’ve long disagreed with Andy Harris’s priorities, but the last few months have taken that to a new level.
“While families and small businesses struggle to recover from the pandemic, he continues to prioritize this sort of extremist behavior, rather than putting Marylanders first.”
Joseph Fick says
I got excited when I read the headline because I thought she was referring to Kamala Harris and the Portland mobs who she helped bail out of jail.
Guess I should have known better.
Before you criticize, you might want to know the details of the Jan 6 incident, which have not been released. WHY?
If you don’t agree with the woke Dems, you are just plain wrong and they will attempt to cancel you.
God bless ANDY Harris for standing up for his beliefs. Your attempts to constantly discredit him are lame. You would do better if you offered something positive instead.
Bob Ramsey says
Do YOU know the details of the Jan 6 “incident” which have “not been released”? HOW?
Joseph Fick says
My point exactly!
No one knows until or if ever Congress releases the full report. Of course they won’t if it does not fit the “insurrection” narrative.
Dr Harris is entitled to his opinion and his vote without being verbally attacked by someone who knows nothing about the Jan 6 incident except what she has gotten from the left wing press. But maybe she watches Fox News!
I dare say that Dr Harris has substantially more knowledge on the matter than Ms Mizeur, he being a member of Congress and all.
What happened to the kinder, gentler discourse promised by Mr Biden?
All political BS as usual….say whatever to get elected and then screw the people.
Let’s not be attacking people for their beliefs and opinions just because you don’t agree. This used to be free country where we are free to voice our opinions.
Try saying something positive about what You are going to do rather than tearing down someone else. Then let the voters decide. Both sides!
Michael McDowell says
No, Mr. Fick. You praise Andy Harris’s “beliefs”? Well that beggars belief. Harris is no “conservative”, he is a radical right extremist. Let’s take a quick look: 1. with no evidence of fraud, he challenged the Nov. 9 OFFICIAL election results and urged Trump not to concede defeat 2. On Jan. 5 he said he would vote to overturn the official results which were certified in ALL 50 states and the following day, in the courts 3. Jan. 6, despite the deadly attack on the Capitol he voted to overturn the legally certified, court validated election 4. Harris attempted to provoke a fist fight on the floor of the House 5. He broke his publicly reiterated pledge only to run for 6 terms and then announced he would run for a 7th term. This hypocrite had even put forward a bill on….term limits, while in the House! 6. Jan. 23 Harris was caught trying to bring a gun onto the House floor and is being investigated for this breach 7. last month it was revealed — Harris of course didn’t reveal it — that he used his political war chest to fund QAnon supporting Cong. Marjorie Taylor Greene and fellow-gun-toter Cong. Lauren Boebert in their campaigns last fall 8. Harris voted his usual “No!” just this week to refuse Congressional Gold Medals to three Capitol Police members for their courage last month. What you, Mr. Fick, do is what Harris does. Divert. Change the subject. Push straw man nonsense. So you don’t care either, I suppose, that Harris is a huge (and decorated) fan of neo fascist, as John McCain rightly called him, Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban? And you don’t care either then that Harris has met with people who support White nationalism and Holocaust denial? It’s fine to differ but to agree with Harris? The man is an appalling human being, who is infuriated when challenged, and like most cowards, prefers to hide from his critics, and just hang around with people who are as deeply partisan as him. And please don’t respond with whataboutery. Just focus on the numbered facts above. We in Maryland and the rest of the country are better than this, or most of us are.
Joseph Fick says
If Dr. Harris is a hypocrite, he is in an exclusive club of hypocrites better known as Congress. We could do your in-depth research on all 535 of them and find numerous instances of political hypocrisy. So he is no better or worse than any in that category.
My original point was that we don’t need personal attacks on others to express one’s stance on a particular matter. Don’t denigrate him, or anyone for that matter, as a person. Better to propose something positive about how one will improve things if they are elected.
We are all entitled to our opinions and political positions, at least for the time being. So, if you don’t like his positions, vote him out. That is the American way!
Michael McDowell says
What an anodyne naive response. Harris is a public figure, not an individual outside politics. I refuted your Pollyanna-like view of Harris and you continue to divert. We are talking about Harris, not 435 other House Members and 100 Senators. “Personal attacks”? This is risible. He works for US but acts like we work for him. It is our duty as voters to hold him to account. As for my “in depth” research, it was a SUMMARY of Harris’s recent extremist behavior. There is a plethora of appalling political stunts of negativity by Harris. As for proposing something or someone “positive”, I can do that in two words — Wayne Gilchrest. A Marine, a public school teacher in Kent, a bipartisan cooperative….Republican! Now there was a decent representative who was maligned by Harris in a really dirty campaign. Wayne Gilchrest was and is loved by people in District 1. Harris is either liked by a minority or right wingers, or utterly despised by the rest of us. Count me in the latter category. The sordid Democratic machine gerrymander got us Harris. If that was revised, Harris would be tossed out.
Howard McCoy says
It looks like Andy’s getting… What would we call it? Unhinged? Just like some of his colleagues. Thanks for running, Heather.
Nancy Powell says
Yes!
David Quinn says
Well stated, Heather!!
Carol Casey says
Hopeful that Andy Harris’s time will be up soon. Thank you for running!
Ted Lazo says
Right on Heather.