Jury Convicts Insurrectionist Who Ran for Oregon Governor

He breached a barrier of bike racks at the U.S. Capitol, then struck an officer with his fists.

Christensen A man identified by the FBI as Reed Christensen shoves a Capitol police officer on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo from federal affidavit)
By Lucas Manfield

On Sept. 18, a federal jury convicted Reed Christensen, a 65-year-old Hillsboro man who attacked police on the steps of the nation’s Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

According to the complaint filed in Washington, D.C., federal court, Christensen breached a barrier of bike racks that had been hastily set up to keep the crowds off of the Lower West Terrace. After he was tear-gassed, he struck an officer with his fists, which was caught on video both by body-worn police cameras and journalists. Christensen was reported to police by someone who knew him, and arrested by law enforcement a few months later.

He leveraged the incident into a short-lived political career here in Oregon, where he ran for governor in 2022.

“When I came back from the Jan. 6 rally, I felt like I had participated in the Boston Tea Party 2.0. If anything, I have more of a right to run as governor because I stood up for the Constitution,” he told WW last year.

The retired Intel electrical engineer received a warm reception at debates, but won less than 1% of the vote in the Republican primary.

On Monday, the jury found him guilty on eight counts of unauthorized entry and assault. He now awaits sentencing.

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