Richmond, VA — DPVA Chair Susan Swecker released the following statement concerning violent right-wing insurrectionists who broke into the U.S. Capitol today to disrupt the certification of the results of the presidential election: 

"Denying our government a peaceful transition of power is nothing short of an attack on the fundamental values our country was founded upon, and we must be crystal clear about why this took place. 

What we saw at the Capitol is the direct result of Republican elected officials undermining our democracy at every turn. The words and actions of our leaders matter, and Virginia Republicans have consistently stoked conspiracy theories and empowered violent right-wing extremists.

To this day not one Republican member of Congress from Virginia has accepted the results of the presidential election. And just yesterday Republican members of the House of Delegates used their official time and resources to send a letter advocating for the overturning of our Commonwealth's free and fair election. Both of the Republican candidates for Governor, Kirk Cox and Amanda Chase, refused to recognize the results of the election, and Cox was silent while Chase joined today's protests in D.C., spreading dangerous conspiracy theories while calling for martial law. 

The Republican Party has made their disdain for democracy clear, and every elected GOP official has been complicit. It's up to every Virginian and every American to reject the values of the Republican Party that led to a violent coup attempt today in our nation's capital. The future of our democracy depends on it." 

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