FORT WORTH, Texas — The breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, by a large group of Trump supporters is seen with disapproval by some Republicans in Texas, who say those who participated and tried to get their message across with violence do not represent them.
Republican Carlos Turcios, of Fort Worth, watched the images out of Washington D.C. that day with disbelief and frustration.
"I felt frustrated. I think it just tarnishes the image. It doesn’t represent the Republican party and what they did was just disgraceful,” said the young voter.
Furthermore, Turcios said it was an attack to an institution representing democracy in the United States.
“The Capitol is a sacred place and an institution for our democratic process, so what happened this Wednesday was unacceptable so those individuals will be punished."
Turcios campaigned heavily for Trump and has been outspoken about his support for him throughout the last four years, but he believes now it is in the nation’s best interest to move forward. He feels that will unite and save the country.
“We are all interconnected we need to work together…2020 just shows how polarized the country is and we need to realize that this polarization will eventually kill the country," said Turcios.
When it comes to the recently impeached President of the United States, Donald Trump, Turcios believes it is time for him to send a different message.
"I think he needs to concede. He has had two months to present the evidence and he has of course failed. January 6, they certified the results,” he added.
The young Fort Worth republican echoes the response of the Tarrant County Republican Party, reacting with rejection to the actions of those who invaded the federal grounds.
“We live in a country of rule and law and whenever you bust through security and break windows and do the things that happened at the Capitol, then those are all violations of the law. We could consider that to be wrong,” said Rick Barnes.
Barnes also compared the events at the U.S. Capitol to protests and riots that happened across the country in 2020 and added that anyone who breaks the law should face consequences regardless of their political beliefs.
"When it gets to that point, somebody should be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Though he does not anticipate that the situation will affect the Republican Party or drive members away, he foresees much work ahead to restore trust in the election process, believing it’s a major factor in recent tensions.
“Both sides have a responsibility to look into the reality of the trustful process of the election. When you vote, you should have some very sure security that your vote was treated with the best of integrity and you can trust the end result."
As for now, the Tarrant County GOP will focus on the 2022 election and the future of their party. For Turcios the next two years are about increasing the number of young minority voters for the Republican Party in the county and moving forward based on Republican values.
