Another wintry storm Friday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

A Minnesota man convicted and imprisoned for assaulting police officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is running for a seat in the state Senate in western Minnesota.

Brian Mock, 47, repeatedly attacked police officers during the riot staged by supporters of President Donald Trump and aligned with his stolen election theory. According to details that arose during the federal criminal prosecution, Mock wielded a police baton as a weapon and stole two riot shields.

He was convicted on 11 counts, including felony assault charges. His 

sentenced to nearly three years in prison

; he spent a year in jail before that sentence. Less than a year into his sentence, he received a pardon from President Donald Trump. He was released from prison just prior to the pardon on Jan. 3, 2025.

Mock, who lives in Lynd, was one of 14 Minnesota defendants charged for their actions on Jan. 6. He was the only one of those accused of hurting police officers.

In an interview with MPR News, Mock said that what happened on Jan. 6th was “the biggest single conspiracy in U.S. history.”

“None of what was said about me was accurate in the media ever,” he said. “Still, people to this day — I have congressmen on the floor of the House calling me a criminal and stating things that are absolutely false, stuff that was found in court. They still persist with this narrative.”

Mock is one of multiple Republicans running for an open state Senate seat in the Redwood Falls and Marshall area that heavily favors the GOP. The district covers Brown, Lac Qui Parle, Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine Counties and parts of Chippewa and Blue Earth Counties. 

“I feel like there's a ton wrong with St. Paul right now and politics in the state in general,” Mock said in a phone interview Monday. “And what I've been exposed to over the last five years, I feel like I'm in a unique position to make a difference, to work on exposing fraud, corruption and start holding people accountable.”

Beginning with Tuesday’s precinct caucuses, he’ll seek the Republican Party’s backing. Another GOP candidate is Braxton Seifert, the son of longtime Minnesota House member and caucus leader Marty Seifert.

“People in the district need to take a real look at contrasting between my values and my character and his,” Braxton Seifert said, noting Mock’s past actions. 

He said he knows Mock and said Mock has fought hard for change in criminal justice. But Seifert said Mock’s campaign does not focus much on issues facing the district.

“I've got a lot more detailed plans on issues that are facing Minnesotans,” Seifert said. “Realistically, as Republicans, if we want to win in November, we've got to talk about the issues.”

The Jan. 6-related conviction is not the only thing on Mock’s rap sheet. He was also convicted of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in Anoka County in 2010.

According to a federal sentencing memo: Mock allegedly pointed a gun at the heads of three children during his oldest son’s birthday party. He believed the three children, ages 11 to 14, were trying to start a fire in his backyard. He grabbed a gun from his home and pointed it at their heads, threatening to shoot them. A woman who witnessed the scene called 911 and a local SWAT team arrived, setting up a perimeter. Mock refused to leave his house, barricaded himself inside and told police they’d need a warrant. He was later coaxed out of the house by the SWAT team. The FBI later interviewed one of the parents of the children who said the incident psychologically traumatized both him and the child. 

He was sentenced to one year in confinement of the Anoka County Jail and was given a seven years of probation with a stayed prison term if he met certain conditions, according to Minnesota court records.

Mock said that case was also blown out of proportion, and he said he was overcharged and had a BB gun.

He said he’s been working since his pardon to bring change to the criminal justice system. He said that people, once they’ve served their sentence, should be given back their voting rights and should not have to carry the weight of their criminal history for the rest of their lives.

Mock is not the first pardoned Jan. 6 defendant to run for office. Politico reported that in 2022, at least 57 individuals involved in that day’s events ran for office. A Florida man — 

who famously grabbed Nancy Pelosi’s lectern

 to pose for photos with it — is running for a county commissioner seat in Manatee County. In 2024, 

 for the Republican primary for Congress but lost that race. He’s 

Politics and Government News

NewsPartners

Homepage

Peter Cox

Author

Brian Mock, who was convicted and spent time in prison after the U.S. Capitol uprising on Jan. 6, 2021, is running for state Senate. He’s seeking the Republican nomination for an open seat in western Minnesota.

A man riots at the January 6 U.S. capitol riots

Brian Mock seeks state Senate seat in Minnesota after prison time for Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox