HERO WORSHIP — For Democrats around the country, Jan. 6 remains top of mind, an event that they see as the manifestation of their fears about former President Donald Trump, his supporters and their willingness to subvert the will of American voters. Now, Harry Dunn, a Capitol police officer who defended the Capitol that day and regularly shares how the events of Jan. 6 changed his understanding of America, wants to join Congress himself. Dunn, who later went on to deliver searing testimony before the House Jan. 6 Commission, is leaning heavily into defense of democracy messaging in his upstart campaign to represent Maryland’s open 3rd Congressional District. In doing so, he’s managed to post eye-popping fundraising numbers for a political novice, proving that Democrats nationwide remain highly attuned to — and motivated by — the threat to democracy that the insurrection posed. According to ActBlue reports, Dunn raised $2.75 million in the month of January from over 100,000 donors, a stunning number for a first-time congressional candidate with no prior political experience. The only Democratic committees that raised more from ActBlue in the same time period were for Biden and the Democratic House and Senate campaign arms. And even though full information about Dunn’s first quarter fundraising numbers are not yet public, Dunn’s abbreviated online-only numbers place the political novice in hallowed company. Few Democratic candidates running for open seats in 2024 have raised more in such a short span of time. The money is almost exclusively flowing into Dunn’s campaign from outside of the district in which he is running, showing the extent to which his defense of democracy messaging fires up the Democratic base. According to Dunn’s campaign, as of the end of February only 1,300 of Dunn’s over 100,000 contributions came from within Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District, and 4,000 from within the state of Maryland. A video he released on X announcing his campaign and recounting his defense of the Capitol went viral, receiving 6.4 million views. The slick presentation is a reenactment of January 6, showing Dunn walking through the halls of the Capitol as rioters storm the building. “So join me. We’ve got a democracy to protect,” says Dunn at the end of the spot. His first television ad leans into the same theme. After flashing images of the Capitol and the date January 6, the ad leaps into scenes of rioters attacking the complex. “On this day, I didn’t fight against them,” says Dunn. “I fought for all of us.” Dunn faces over 20 candidates in the May 14 Democratic primary for the safely blue seat. But his success in small-donor fundraising and his online presence has placed him in a strong position in the suburban seat south of Baltimore, left empty by the departure of veteran Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes. “I read Dunn’s book. I like his story,” said Walter Ballin, a Democratic voter in the district who is planning to vote in the primary. “He’s an actual working person and I’m upset about January 6.” That doesn’t mean Dunn is on a glide path to Congress. He’s faces local Democratic legislators with deep ties to the district, and some voters at a March meeting of the Columbia Democratic Party — a local Democratic organization — expressed worries that his lack of political experience and policy expertise would make him a weak legislator in Washington. But there’s recent precedent showing the power of defense of democracy messaging — in California, where Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, an impeachment manager, easily outpaced other Democrats in a recent Senate primary. Dunn may not have nearly the same legislative experience, but Schiff’s experience is a reminder that his message remains a powerful one among Democratic voters. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at pschaefer@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @p_s_schaefer.
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