Man charged in US Capitol attack announces run for Senate in Florida

During his time in the DC jail, what he calls the “DC gulag”, Lang tried to organize a militia, which was initially called the North American Patriot and Liberty Militia, or Napalm. He created online fundraisers, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars for January 6 defendants. He appeared in the media while in jail and since he was pardoned, talking about the Capitol charges and emerging as one of the most vocal members of the so-called J6 community.

Lang has not expressed regret for his actions on 6 January 2021 and has frequently referred to himself as a political prisoner. Photo and video footage of him on that day show him repeatedly fighting police and yelling things such as “This is our house. We paid for this fucking building.” At one point in the riot, he wore a gas mask and beat police with a shield and bat, the justice department alleged, in an entrance to the Capitol that saw some of the most violence. He posted on social media afterward and wrote: “arrest me.”

Now he wants to go back to the Capitol as a US senator and he thinks he can defeat the Republican who was appointed to the seat, former Florida attorney general Ashley Moody. He filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission in February.

“January 6 was a cry for change, and I am that change,” he said in his announcement video. “The tree of liberty is thirsty, America. We may have won the 2024 election, but the revolution has just begun. We’re going back to the Capitol, and this time as your next elected officials and lawmakers.”

Lang did not respond to requests for comment. He previously told the Guardian he was “not ashamed” of his actions on January 6 and that he believes the day “ended up being the imagery that the American people and the world needed to see of a united America – Black, white, Asian, Spanish, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim – all standing united together against a tyrannical oppression, against a Marxist coup d’etat”.

On his campaign website, he notes that he will have a “100% TRUMP AMERICA AGENDA” and includes priorities like mass deportation, sealing the border, “large tax cuts” and preventing world war three.

Lang is from New York and previously told a local publication in his home town that he was considering a run for the US House in a district there. He also told the River Reporter that he hadn’t voted for Trump until 2024, from inside the DC jail.

He told the Miami New Times he chose to run in Florida instead because, in his time there since being released from jail, he has found more acceptance. “They love the Jan Sixers,” he said. “As I’ve been going around these last 50 days here in Florida, making campaign videos and seeing business owners and friends of mine here and talking to strangers in the public, I’ve had dozens of people cry on my shoulder, come out and congratulate and hug and consider us to be patriot heroes and founding father-style leaders.”

Some Florida Republicans have said they don’t see Lang as a serious contender. Jake Hoffman, executive director of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, told the Florida Phoenix: “Every cycle, both parties have insane candidates with a less than 0% chance of winning enter a race, but they do it anyway. This is one of those cases.”

Other J6ers have run for political office, but none successfully. Jacob Chansley, the rioter known as the “QAnon shaman” who dressed in horns and shirtless as he entered the Capitol, filed paperwork in 2023 for a congressional run as a libertarian. Ryan Zink talked about his January 6 charges during his unsuccessful run for Congress in Texas and called himself a “political prisoner”.

Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader who was convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the Capitol attack, also is reportedly considering a run for office in Florida. He told the Miami New Times in February that it was a “maybe thing” and that he’s considering vying for the US House seat vacated by Matt Gaetz. “If I do run, I want to be in that building that they accused me of trying to storm,” he told the publication.

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Stephen Collopy

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