TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — About 200 supporters of President Donald Trump rallied Wednesday at the Kansas Statehouse to show their support for overturning President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Trump’s supporters listened to speeches promoting Trump’s claims about election fraud and suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic has been exaggerated.
They chanted “stop the steal,” “four more years” and “no more masks,” a reference to many Trump supporters’ opposition to coronavirus restrictions such as requiring people to wear masks in public.
The protest was the same day Congress was supposed to certify the Democratic president-elect’s Electoral College. The count was interrupted when pro-Trump protesters stormed and occupied the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
After the rally in Topeka, dozens of Trump’s supporters entered the Statehouse peacefully, one by one or in small groups and milled around, glanced at historical exhibits and sat on benches. The building was open as it usually during the week.
The lights in the governor’s outer, ceremonial office were off and the door was locked, and the door to most of her staff’s office also was locked. Her office did not respond to texts seeking an explanation.
Trump carried Kansas easily in November to capture its six electoral votes.