A onetime member of the Proud Boys group, the far-right white nationalist group many of whose members were present at the January 6 assault on the Capitol, is again running for a GOP political position in Miami-Dade, the Miami New Times reported.
The person in question is Chris Barcenas, who is seeking the post of state committeeman. He is set to compete against suspended Miami-Dade commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, former county commissioner Bruno Barreiro and current commissioned Kevin Cabrera.
Barcena was present outside of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was subpoenaed by the congressional committee that investigated the attack. He said he's no longer associated with the Proud Boys and testified voluntarily and provided names of people who took part in the assault, according to Miami Against Fascism.
He reportedly didn't enter the building and wasn't charged with crimes resulting from the day. Speaking before the committee, he explained how he got involved with the extremist organization and its role on January 6.
A report by The New York Times in June 2022 revealed that at least six then-current and former Proud Boys, some of whom were in fact convicted of storming the Capitol, had seats in the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee.
Back then, Chairman Rene Garcia vowed to fix the committee's vetting process. "We have started a process to make sure we have a better process of vetting people who are coming into the GOP," he said back then.
Current Miami-Dade GOP chairman Kevin Cooper did not immediately respond to questions from the outlet regarding Barcena's candidacy and whether his past would render him ineligible.
Current county election documents show that candidates must be registered Republican voters, have been so for at least 365 days before the beginning of qualifying and reside in the district.
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