Ron Hanks is an American politician who served in the
Colorado House of Representatives from 2021 to early 2023. A member of the
Republican Party, Hanks represented District 60. Hanks generated controversy on numerous occasions, most notably for his participation in the
2021 United States Capitol attack. Hanks ran for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in a bid to challenge
Michael Bennet in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
but lost in the primary.
Background
Hanks served for 32 years (active and reserve) in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
. He lives in
Cañon City
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
and owns a company called The Western Surveyor.
Political career
In 2010, Hanks ran unsuccessfully for Congress in
Northern California. Hanks was later elected to the
Colorado House of Representatives in the
2020 general election.
In the June 2020 Republican house district 60 primary, he ran unopposed.
In the 2020 general election, Hanks won 62.41% of the total votes cast.
After
Joe Biden defeated
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**C ...
, Hanks questioned the election results and promoted false claims of voter fraud.
In April 2021, Hanks was criticized for joking about
lynching and claiming the
Three-Fifths Compromise that designated a slave as three-fifths of a person "was not impugning anybody’s humanity."
Hanks claimed his statements were manipulated to make a point he wasn't making.
In May 2021, Hanks threatened to assault
Colorado House
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
Minority Leader and fellow
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Hugh McKean over a legislative disagreement.
In June 2021, Hanks visited Arizona to observe the controversial
Arizona audit. The next month, Hanks participated in a conference hosted by
MyPillow
My Pillow, Inc. (stylized as MyPillow) is an American pillow-manufacturing company based in Chaska, Minnesota.Michael J Lindell"MyPillow HQ moves to Chaska,"Chaska Herald', June 16, 2015. The company was founded in 2009 by Mike Lindell, who inv ...
CEO
Mike Lindell
Michael James Lindell (born June 28, 1961), also known as the My Pillow Guy, is an American businessman, political activist, and conspiracy theorist. He is the founder and CEO of My Pillow, Inc., a pillow, bedding, and slipper manufacturing ...
, known for promoting false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
In August 2021, Hanks attended a rally in
Mesa County to support
Tina Peters, a local
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
county clerk who was affiliated with groups promoting false claims of election fraud and was later arrested and indicted for seven felony charges related to election tampering and misconduct. Hanks said that the clerk was a "gold star mom and public servant. There is no evidence she did anything wrong". Hanks also accused the investigation of the clerk's office of being a "false-flag operation" despite a lack of evidence or substantiation of these claims.
On October 1, 2021, Hanks filed to run for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in a bid to challenge
Michael Bennet in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
.
However, in the 2022 Republican
primary election for
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
from Colorado, Joe O'Dea defeated Hanks and one write-in candidate.
2021 U.S. Capitol attack
Hanks participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
, saying that "people had already entered the building" by the time he arrived at a designated meeting area. In a fundraising newsletter, Hanks continued to promote conspiracy theories regarding the certification of the 2020 election. He said of the crowd, “It seems more likely that there were people who intended to blend in to the group, then create mayhem and blame it on Trump supporters.” He said, "This isn’t just an economic system or policy priorities we are arguing about. There is a nuclear and national security aspect to this election that must not fall into the hands of foreign enemies or their domestic agents." Such claims have been debunked by multiple sources.
References
External links
Legislative websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanks, Ron
21st-century American politicians
Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections
Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack
Living people
Republican Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives
People from Fremont County, Colorado
Year of birth missing (living people)