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Ex-Philly elections official Al Schmidt is getting a medal from Joe Biden

Al Schmidt, a Republican, will be one of a dozen people honored by Biden at a White House ceremony marking two years since the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol

Former Philadelphia City Commissioners Al Schmidt, seen here in 2021, will received a medal from President Joe Biden for his efforts resisting attempts to overthrow the 2020 election result.
Former Philadelphia City Commissioners Al Schmidt, seen here in 2021, will received a medal from President Joe Biden for his efforts resisting attempts to overthrow the 2020 election result.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
    by Jonathan Tamari
    Updated 
    Published 

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal on Friday to Al Schmidt, the former Philadelphia elections official who fought pressure to stop the 2020 vote count in the city and pushed back against Republican efforts to overthrow Pennsylvania’s election results.

Schmidt, a Republican, will be one of a dozen people honored by Biden at a White House ceremony marking two years since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Biden will give one of the country’s highest civilian honors to Schmidt, other public officials who resisted pressure from then-President Donald Trump to overturn the lawful 2020 election results, and several law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol during the riot fueled by Trump’s lies.

The White House declaration came just hours after Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro announced that he would nominate Schmidt to become secretary of state, a critical job that would give Schmidt oversight over the state’s 2024 presidential vote, when Pennsylvania will again be a key battleground.

“To mark two years since the insurrection on the Capitol, the President will host a ceremony at the White House on Friday, January 6th where he will deliver remarks and award the Presidential Citizens Medal to individuals who made exemplary contributions to our democracy surrounding January 6, 2021,” the White House said in a statement. “These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation. They include Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, election workers, and officials at the state and local level.”

» READ MORE: Al Schmidt, a Republican former Philly elections official, named as Josh Shapiro’s Pa. secretary of state

The Presidential Citizens Medal is given to people who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens,” according to the White House.

Schmidt was one of three Philadelphia city commissioners who kept the city’s vote count going in the face of Trump’s pressure to stop. He and his family faced death threats, and Schmidt became a leading voice of the efforts to uphold the election result, so much so that he testified at an early hearing of Congress’ Jan. 6 investigation.

“Al Schmidt receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal is a tremendous and well-deserved honor for him, and his family. While it is an individual award, it is also recognition for all of the city of Philadelphia staff, both fulltime and temporary, that were there in 2020, working in the Convention Center, to keep the count going during the pandemic while people were actively trying to do us harm,” said a statement from Lisa Deeley, the chair of the three-member City Commissioners, who oversee elections in Philadelphia. “Al receiving this award is all of them getting recognized too.”

Others who will be honored Friday are:

  1. Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state during the 2020 election who resisted pressure from election deniers.

  2. Rusty Bowers, the Arizona House speaker during the 2020 election who also faced pressure to overturn the results.

  3. Harry Dunn, a Capitol Police officer who defended the Capitol and faced both physical violence and racial slurs.

  4. Caroline Edwards, the first law enforcement officer injured by the Capitol rioters.

  5. Michael Fanone, an officer with Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department who defended the Capitol and was injured during the attack. He has since resigned from the force.

  6. Ruby Freeman, an election worker in Fulton County, Ga., who resisted pressure to overturn the results and faced personal threats.

  7. Aquilino Gonell, a Capitol Police sergeant who defended the Capitol.

  8. Eugene Goodman, the Capitol Police officer who, in a moment captured on video and widely circulated, single-handedly diverted rioters who approached the Senate floor while senators were evacuating.

  9. Daniel Hodges, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who defended the Capitol.

  10. Shaye Moss, an election worker in Fulton County, Ga., and Freeman’s daughter, who also faced threats and harassment after the election.

  11. Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 and died the next day.