A convicted Jan. 6 protester running for congress in Georgia stormed out of a Republican primary runoff debate after accusing his opponent of arranging embarrassing "attacks on my wife."
Chuck Hand, who was convicted of a misdemeanor for illegally demonstrating in the U.S. Capitol, left the stage in Atlanta about 90 seconds after being asked an opening question about a farm bill on Sunday.
"I'm not interested in debating the issues of the 2nd District with a man who doesn't even reside in it, especially one who orchestrates attacks on my wife," he said.
Rival GOP candidate Wayne Johnson later called the move "pure political theater" and denied spreading information about Hand's wife Mandy, who was convicted of a drug charge in 2008 before the couple married, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Another Republican who was eliminated from the race in a four-way May 21 primary, Michael Nixon, highlighted Mandy Hand's criminal record during a recent news conference in which he also mentioned charges filed against Chuck Hand in 2005 and 2010 that were later dismissed, the AJC said.
Johnson said he lives a few hundred yards outside the 2nd Congressional District in southwest Georiga, according to the AJC.
The Constitution doesn't require a member of the House to live in his or her district, only the state in which it's located.
Hand and Johnson are competing to challenge 16-term Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop in November, who's heavily favored to win reelction.
Hand is one of at least four Republicans convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack who are running for congress this year, according to the Associated Press.
In 2022, both Hand and his wife pleaded guilty to illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol and were sentenced to 20 days in prison and six months of probation, according to the AJC.
