‘I have to preserve what little freedom and liberty we have left, for my children and future grandchildren.’
On Friday, a former West Virginia lawmaker who was charged for his involvement at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, announced that he is running for Congress.
On the second anniversary of the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Derrick Evans announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives. In a video posted on social media, Evans—who live-streamed his presence in the Capitol and served jail time (pdf) for that participation—spoke of his “fellow J-6ers” and the “miscarriage of justice at the hands of our government.” He spoke of being fearful about his jail sentence and of being “scared to lose time” with his family.
“But despite that uncertainty, my resolve never waned,” he said. “I knew I still had the support from the people in West Virginia and American patriots from all across this country.”
“So with that,” Evans said, he announced he was “officially running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.”
Activist, Delegate, Congressional Candidate
Before his arrest on Jan. 8, 2021 (pdf), Evans had already stirred controversy as a pro-life activist. In 2019, Evans live-streamed himself protesting outside of a West Virginia abortion clinic, causing the clinic to erect a 10-foot fence around the property and a volunteer to obtain a restraining order.
Evans also live-streamed himself protesting against Black Lives Matter and drag shows. Those videos were lost on Nov. 8, 2021, when Evans was terminated from all social media platforms, including Facebook. He has since created new accounts.
Evans was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the state’s 19th District, in November 2020. According to his campaign website bio, one of his first acts as a delegate was to sign on to a request for a special session aimed at stripping West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice of his executive power to impose state lockdowns and to force citizens to get COVID-19 vaccines.
