ShutDownDC Drops in on Senator Josh Hawley’s House to Encourage him to Reconsider his Attack on Democracy

This evening, around a dozen activists with ShutDownDC held an hour long vigil at the Virginia home of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) to demand that he drop his baseless contestation of the 2020 presidential election results. Hawley was the first of 12 Republican senators who pledged to join more than 100 Republican House members in their plan to derail Congress' acceptance of Joe Biden's election win on January 6.

Activists lit candles and delivered a copy of the US Constitution to Hawley's door. The crowd chanted "Shame! Shame on Hawley!" and "Protect Democracy from the GOP." They also read messages from voters in the states whose election results Hawley and the other Senators are planning to contest, including Missouri and Pennsylvania. Police arrived at around 7:45PM.

"We came to let Hawley know that his actions are undemocratic and unacceptable," said ShutDownDC activist Patrick Young. "Voters decided who they wanted to be president and now Hawley is trying to silence their voices, even after Republican election officials certified the vote counts. And let's not forget that the bulk of the votes they would throw out come from Black and brown voters. This is an attempted coup waged by silencing the voices of people of color."

One protester's sign read, "There's nothing wrong with saying you've recalculated," referring to a recording of Trump's recent phone conversation with the Georgia Secretary of State. 

Hawley's planned contestation will add kindling to an already dangerous situation: On January 6, thousands of supporters of Donald Trump will be in DC for a delusional “Stop the Steal” protest. As ShutDownDC and others have repeatedly documented, many of these supporters are threatening to bring illegal weapons and to commit violence against anyone who disagrees with their views, including members of Congress, local officials, and police.

ShutDownDC has called on area hotels to close their doors to these people. But hotel chains including Marriott, Hyatt, and Holiday Inn have refused. They, along with Mayor Bowser, Metro Police, and other officials who could have taken action to block the Trump protest, will be partly responsible for any violence and destruction that occurs on January 6.