Former Capitol police officers hit the trail as busy Harris campaign surrogates

At 6 feet 7 inches, former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn had to slouch slightly when he spoke beneath the navy blue canopy and greeted Democratic Party volunteers with a "what's up, y'all?" Speaking in Gaston County, North Carolina, earlier this month, the former James Madison University football player was a familiar face to the crowd. 

Talking with volunteers who were preparing to go door to door for Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates, Dunn said his campaign efforts this year have been an attempt "to turn lemons into lemonade." He was referring to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Dunn recounted his efforts to repel the rioting mob that day. He said rioters had hurled racial epithets at him and he's experienced trauma from that day. He told North Carolina Democrats that all of the police who responded Jan. 6 are heroes.

The crowd applauded when Dunn said, "The No. 1 thing we have to do is stop Donald Trump." The former president continues to make baseless claims about the Capitol riot and the 2020 election. 

Since the Jan. 6 riot, Dunn has testified before Congress and in court for some of the prosecutions of Jan. 6 defendants, and he's written a book about his experience. His increasing fame has made him a popular surrogate for candidates — in the same league as some Democratic governors and members of Congress. 

Days after his North Carolina trip, Dunn traveled to Freeport, New York, and stood beneath the ductwork of an old restaurant that's been converted into a temporary campaign office for congressional candidate Laura Gillen. She's 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 talking to Democratic activists in Nevada, and here, his remarks were a little spicier.   

"I take pride in stopping that M*er," using an acronym for a vulgarity for former President Donald Trump.  

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

Democratic candidates are capitalizing. Gonell told CBS News, "I've been to Arizona, Nevada and to the Pennsylvania state Legislature. I've been criss-crossing Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg."  

Gonell, who retired after suffering injuries to his foot and shoulder from rioters during the insurrection, has recorded a new campaign ad for Vice President Kamala Harris. In the ad, Gonell looks directly at the camera and references the rioters and Trump, "Donald Trump calls them warriors. And those of us who defended the Capitol, he insults us. And that's the difference. The oath that we took to defend our democracy we take seriously. He does not."

Gonell told CBS News he's also being deployed 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 are telling us that Trump's support of Jan. 6 is a bridge too far," he wrote. Both Dunn and Gonell also attended and spoke at the Democratic convention in August.

Dunn told CBS News, "For so many people, Jan. 6 is a frontline issue. One of the reasons it is relevant is because Donald Trump keeps bringing it up. Republicans say Democrats need to get over it. But Donald Trump brings it up at every rally. I would love nothing more than to not have to talk about Jan. 6 anymore."

Seated at a table at an Arizona bookstore at a campaign stop to support Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego, Dunn talked about the injuries suffered by some of the more than 140 officers injured on Jan. 6. As cameras recorded the event, Dunn accused Gallego's opponent, Kari Lake, of perpetuating the type of election denialism that gave rise to the Capitol siege.

Gonell, who has testified at the trials and sentencing hearings of Jan. 6 criminal defendants, lambastes Trump allies for referring to the Jan. 6 rioters as "peaceful protesters" and Trump for his recent claim that the Capitol riot was a "day of love." 

Gonell told CBS News, "I have been telling my story and reminding people about the ramifications of Jan. 6," when he was beaten while on the frontlines of the assault in a Capitol tunnel.      

"It is just me doing what I can to hold people accountable," he said.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who served on the House Jan. 6 committee and is running for a U.S. Senate seat, has received campaign assistance from Gonell. In a campaign fundraising pitch, Gonell praised Schiff, writing that he "fought relentlessly to reveal the truth about the Jan. 6 insurrection and to make sure that those who incited violence against our country are held to account."

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 critical election. And I will always be deeply grateful for his efforts to keep me and my colleagues — Democrats and Republicans — safe on Jan. 6, and his bravery and service 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 endorsements for Democratic candidates. Gillen, the Long Island Democrat seeking the New York 4th District Congressional seat, recently received Dunn's endorsement.

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

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

Another former officer who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6 has been advocating in the runup to the election. is former Washington, D.C., police officer Michael Fanone, who says he's not affiliated with a political campaign but has been helping an organization that advocates for elected leaders to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

The organization, Courage for America, confirmed that Fanone and Gonell have taken part in nearly 50 events across the country focused on the upcoming elections. Fanone has also been tasked with outreach and interviews in local and national media to share his experiences from the Capitol attack, which refute the claims of some Republicans and Trump that it was a peaceful and patriotic protest. 

Fanone was knocked unconscious and brutalized 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 all across the country who are as concerned as I am about the future of democracy," Fanone said.

Fanone, who also testified before the Jan. 6 select committee, told CBS News, "We really have lost something as a country that we might not get back for a generation. We've lost compassion and empathy and the ability to be civil to one another."