Jan. 6 rioter in House runoff rages off Atlanta debate stage

(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS) — A Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives who served prison time for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol has left the stage Sunday minutes after an Atlanta Press Club debate.

But Chuck Hand didn’t walk away from the 2nd District congressional debate because he was upset by a question about his role in the riot, which he embraced throughout his long-running campaign.

Instead, the pre-planned walkout was a response to a question about a federal farm bill in an effort to draw attention to his June 18 GOP runoff against Wayne Johnson.

“The choice is yours: It’s dollars versus currency,” Hand said before walking off the set of the downtown Atlanta studio after the first question. “And that’s when I get back in the truck and head back to southwest Georgia because I have two races to win.”

Johnson later called it “pure political theater” in an interview.

“He did a great disservice to voters by not being prepared to stand up to the questions he thought were coming,” said Johnson, a former federal student aid official. “He walked out of his job interview.”

It’s the latest flashpoint in the Republican race to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, a 16-term lawmaker widely favored to win.

Hand, a construction worker and first-time candidate, opened his speech by saying he was “not interested in debating the issues of the 2nd District with a man who doesn’t even reside there, especially one who orchestrates attacks on my wife. (Johnson said he lives a few hundred yards from the southwest Georgia district. House candidates are not required to live in their district to run for office.)

Hand said after the debate that his remarks referred to a recent news conference featuring Michael Nixon, third-place finisher in the May primary, who endorsed Johnson. Nixon also used the platform to highlight Hand’s wife Mandy’s history of drug charges dating back to 2008, before they were married.

At the time, Hand called the attention to his wife “disgusting and despicable” and, before leaving the stage, made it clear that she was still on his mind. Johnson said he played no role in the news conference.

The walkout caught debate organizers by surprise as he walked off camera. Moderator Donna Lowry asked, “Aren’t you staying, sir?” Are you leaving?”

The camera then turned to Johnson: “Wow, I don’t even know how to react.”

Although both Republicans have little chance of defeating Bishop, Hand’s involvement in the Jan. 6 riot has brought more statewide and national attention to the contest.

Hand and his wife were arrested in 2022 after captioned images and other evidence led authorities to the Taylor County couple.

Both pleaded guilty in 2022 to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully protesting at the U.S. Capitol. They were sentenced to 20 days in federal prison and six months of probation. Since then, Hand has been unapologetic about his role as he runs for office.