Harry Dunn was thrust into the national spotlight after protecting members of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. Now he wants to be one of them.

The former U.S. Capitol Police officer announced Friday he is running to represent Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District in the House. 

Dunn, who is running as a Democrat, made the announcement on social media Friday morning, the eve of the third anniversary of supporters of Donald Trump storming the Capitol and halting the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

In a video announcing his candidacy, Dunn said he upheld his oath on Jan. 6 to protect “some members of Congress who I knew were bigots who helped fanned the flames that started all of this.”

“I put country above self,” he said. “The problem is a lot of them didn’t. Some of the same people who stood behind us when we protected them went back on the floor of Congress and stood behind Trump. They voted to acquit him. And worst of all, they denied the violence and trauma that led to the death of some of my fellow officers.” 

The video includes Dunn walking through a hallway where the riot was reenacted in slow motion.

“We can't ever let this happen again, and you've heard it from Trump himself: He is hell bent on finishing what he started this day,” Dunn said.

According to the Justice Department, more than 140 police officers were assaulted on Jan. 6. More than 1,230 people have been charged in connection with the riot, with about 900 either pleading guilty or being convicted at trial.

At least nine people who were at the Capitol, including five police officers, died on Jan. 6 or in the days and weeks after.

Dunn became one of the public faces of the officers who clashed with rioters at the Capitol, giving many media interviews and testifying before the House committee investigating Jan. 6 and the events leading up to it.

In July 2021, he told the panel that he was called racial slurs on Jan. 6. He also said he had been battling the psychological effects of the riots and that he regularly attended counseling. 

"One of the scariest things about Jan. 6 is that the people that were there, even to this day, think that they were right," Dunn testified. "They think that they were right, and that makes for a scary recipe for the future of this country."

He also argued Trump should be charged for his actions related to Jan. 6, comparing him to someone who hired a hitman. 

Last year, President Joe Biden awarded Dunn, along with others who protected democracy on Jan. 6, the Presidential Citizens Medal,  the nation's second-highest civilian honor. 

Dunn, who served 15 years on the Capitol Police force, recently resigned to run for Congress.

The 3rd District encompasses suburbs south and west of Baltimore. The district is currently represented by Democrat John Sarbanes, who announced in October he is not seeking a 10th term.