At 6 feet tall, former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn had to slump a bit as he spoke under the navy blue canopy, greeting Democratic Party volunteers with a “how’s it going, y’all?” 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 were an attempt “to make lemonade out of lemons.” He was referring to the riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Dunn recounted his efforts to ward off the rioting crowd that day. He said rioters hurled racial epithets at him and that he suffered trauma from that day. He told North Carolina Democrats that all police officers who responded on January 6 are 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 riot and… Elections 2020.

Since the January 6 riot, Dunn has testified before Congress and in court for a number of prosecutions of January 6 suspects, and has written a book about his experiences. His rising fame has made him a popular surrogate for candidates — in the same league as some Democratic governors and members of Congress.

Days after his trip to North Carolina, Dunn traveled to Freeport, New York, and stood under the ductwork of an old restaurant that had been converted into a temporary campaign office for congressional candidate Laura Gillen. She is a Democrat trying to win a Republican-held seat in the U.S. House of Representatives 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 comments were a little more spicy.

“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 ubiquitous campaign surrogates for Democrats as the election approaches. In the four years since the January 6 riot, Gonell, like Dunn, became an outspoken critic of Trump’s actions following the 2020 election, and has also testified at the House of Representatives hearings on January 6.

Democratic candidates capitalize. Gonell told CBS News, “I’ve been to Arizona, Nevada and the Pennsylvania state legislature. I’ve traveled across Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.”

Gonell, who retired after suffering foot and shoulder injuries from rioters during the insurrection, has shot 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 those of us who defended the Capitol, he insults us. And that’s the difference. He does not honor the oath we took to take our democracy seriously.”

Gonell told CBS News he is 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 our research, undecided Latino voters tell us that Trump’s support for January 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, January 6 is a frontline issue. One of the reasons it’s relevant is because Donald Trump keeps bringing it up. Republicans say Democrats should get over it. But Donald Trump brings it up. at every meeting I would like nothing more than to not have to talk about January 6 anymore.’

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

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

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

“I’m just doing what I can to hold people accountable,” he said.

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

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

Schiff told CBS News, “Sergeant 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. January 6, and his courage and service on one of the darkest days in our country’s history.”

Dunn, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland in May, has also created a political action committee to provide fundraising and endorsements for Democratic candidates. Gillen, the Long Island Democrat seeking the Congressional seat in New York’s 4th District, 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 just 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 pleaded guilty ahead of the election. is a former police officer in Washington, DC Michael Fanonewho says he is not involved in a political campaign but has helped an organization that advocates for elected leaders to ensure a peaceful transition of power.

The organization, Courage for America, confirmed that Fanone and Gonell have participated 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 with the attack on the Capitol, which has challenged the claims of some Republicans and Trump that it was a peaceful and patriotic protest.

Fanone was knocked unconscious and assaulted 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 as I am about the future of democracy,” Fanone said.

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