American politician
Ron Hanks is an American politician who served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2021 to early 2023.[1] A member of the Republican Party, Hanks represented District 60.[2] 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 in a bid to challenge Michael Bennet in 2022 but lost in the primary.[3] On December 29, 2023, Hanks declared his candidacy for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District in 2024, which was occupied by Lauren Boebert. [4]
Background
Hanks served for 32 years (active and reserve) in the United States Air Force. He lives in Cañon City, Colorado[5] and owns a company called The Western Surveyor.[6]
Political career
In 2010, Hanks ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Northern California.[7] 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.[8]
In the 2020 general election, Hanks won 62.41% of the total votes cast.[9]
After Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Hanks questioned the election results and promoted false claims of voter fraud.[10][11][3]
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."[12] Hanks claimed his statements were manipulated to make a point he wasn't making.[12]
In May 2021, Hanks threatened to assault Colorado House Minority Leader and fellow Republican Hugh McKean over a legislative disagreement.[13]
In June 2021, Hanks visited Arizona to observe the controversial Arizona audit. The next month, Hanks participated in a conference hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, known for promoting false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[3]
In August 2021, Hanks attended a rally in Mesa County to support Tina Peters, a local Republican 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.[14] 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.[15]
On October 1, 2021, Hanks filed to run for the U.S. Senate in a bid to challenge Michael Bennet in 2022.[3] However, in the 2022 Republican primary election for United States Senator from Colorado, Joe O'Dea defeated Hanks and one write-in candidate.[16]
In December 2023, Hanks announced that he would run in 2024 for the open race in Colorado's 3rd congressional district after incumbent Congresswoman Lauren Boebert announced her plans to move and run in the open 4th district.[17]
2021 U.S. Capitol attack
Hanks participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, saying that "people had already entered the building" by the time he arrived at a designated meeting area.[18] 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."[19] Such claims have been debunked by multiple sources.[20][21]
United States
United States Air Force