A Georgia congressional candidate convicted of a misdemeanor for illegally demonstrating inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, walked out of a televised debate with a fellow Republican on Sunday ahead of a June 18 primary runoff. Chuck Hand and Wayne Johnson are vying for the GOP nomination in southwest Georgia's 2nd Congressional District to challenge Democratic incumbent Rep. Sanford Bishop in November.
Hand, who was sentenced to 20 days in federal prison and six months of probation for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, refused to debate Johnson after a third-place primary finisher endorsed Johnson and raised past legal issues against Hand. This led to Hand abruptly leaving the debate, citing concerns over the endorsement and accusations made against him.
