2 weeks Ago
Democrats on Friday blasted a Republican state representative from Windham while circulating photos of her attending the Jan. 6, 2021 rally that eventually led to a riot at the U.S.
Capitol building. The Maine Democratic Party issued a news release with photos it said were taken from social media accounts and showed Rep. Barbara Bagshaw smiling and posing in front of the Capitol during the so-called “Stop the Steal” rally.
Supporters of then-President Trump marched to the Capitol to pressure Congress to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Rep. Barbara Bagshaw, R-Windham Bagshaw has not been charged with any crimes and the photos show her outside the Capitol with other attendees, not participating in the storming of the building.
Her participation, which was confirmed by a party leader, suggests she supported Trump’s false claims that he was the actual winner of the 2020 election, although she did not make that claim publicly when she ran for and won a seat in the Maine Legislature in 2022. Bagshaw did not respond to interview requests on Friday. The disclosure of the photos more than three years after the rally comes just ahead of Labor Day weekend, the traditional start of a campaign season that will decide control of the state Legislature.
Bagshaw is locked in a tough reelection battle after narrowly winning her first term two years ago. She won the District 106 seat by 23 votes after a recount. She is seeking reelection against Doris Poland, a former bus driver and library technician.
Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Tim Grose said in a written statement that Bagshaw “was present at the attempted insurrection and attack on our nation’s Capitol; where rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized and desecrated public property, disrupted the peaceful transition of power, and subverted the will of Mainers by delaying the certification of votes in a free & fair election.” “The level of extremism and arrogance on display for Rep. Bagshaw to travel from Maine to Washington D.
C. to support Donald Trump’s efforts to throw away the votes of her constituents, and instead impose her will on all Mainers and Americans is astounding–but unsurprising given her radical MAGA views and the fact she is the second Maine GOP candidate or elected official known to have been at the Capitol that day,” Grose said. House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, called the Democratic attack pathetic and defended Bagshaw, saying she did nothing wrong when she joined tens of thousands of other people who attended Trump’s rally on Jan.
6. “I don’t see that as newsworthy,” Faulkingham said in a phone interview. “ I think it’s pathetic that Democrats can’t run on policy, so they have to run on stuff like this.
“Anybody that knows Barbara knows she’s a good representative that serves her community well,” Faulkingham said. “I think it’s pathetic they would try to make her into an extremists because anyone who has been around her for five minutes knows that that’s not true.” The photo shared by Democrats Friday appears to show Bagshaw standing in front of the Capitol on Jan.
6 with Justin Whynot, a Windham resident who acknowledged his attendance at the Jan. 6 rally last fall while he was running for a school board seat. He also did not enter the Capitol or face any charges.
One Maine politician has faced legal trouble for his participation in the post-rally riot. Former Republican state Senate candidate Matthew Brackley pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, impeding or resisting police during the 2021 storming of the Capitol. He was sentenced to a little more than a year in federal prison, as well as two years of probation and $3,000 in fines and restitution for damages at the Capitol.
Former Maine Senate candidate pleads guilty to assaulting police during Jan. 6 riot Waldoboro man who ran for Maine Senate sentenced to 15 months for storming U.S.
Capitol We invite you to add your comments, and we encourage a thoughtful, open and lively exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . You can also read our FAQs .
You can modify your screen name here . Readers may now see a Top Comments tab, which is an experimental software feature to detect and highlight comments that demonstrate compassion, reasoning, personal stories and curiosity, and encourage and promote civil discourse. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below.
If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated.
Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous.
