Paris Train Attack Hero Looks To Pull Off Congressional Upset in Deep Blue State
In 2015, Alek Skarlatos and two friends thwarted an Islamist attack by a gunman on a Paris-bound train, an act of heroism that was made into a movie by Clint Eastwood in which the trio starred as themselves.
Now, Skarlatos, 28, is hoping to represent Oregon’s 4th congressional district in the House of Representatives.
To do that, the Republican candidate will need to unseat Democratic incumbent Peter DeFazio, the longest serving House member in Oregon’s history, in the Nov. 3 election.
This summer, the worst wildfires on record burned in Oregon, with overgrown forests worsening fire conditions. Smoke smothered Skarlatos’ hometown of Roseburg.
“It was really the lack of forest management that got me interested [in running], because it is a federal issue. And our forest policy is made 3,000 miles away, in D.C.,” Skarlatos said in an interview.
Winning the election seems like a long shot, but Skarlatos has raised more than $3.7 million in campaign contributions, compared to DeFazio’s nearly $3.3 million, according to the Federal Election Commission.
The last time a Republican was elected to the seat that represents the southern half of Oregon’s coastal counties was in 1972, and the GOP is eager to deal a blow to Democratic control of a district that includes swaths of rural, conservative areas as well as liberal bastions in the college towns of Eugene and Corvallis.
If Skarlatos flips the seat, it would likely give Republicans two of Oregon’s five House seats, with the GOP almost certain to retain control of the 2nd congressional district covering eastern and central Oregon.
Both of Oregon’s senators are Democrats, as is the governor, and Democrats have a supermajority in the Legislature.
One of Skarlatos’ campaign videos features TV news reports on how he, two longtime friends and two other men foiled the attack on Aug. 21, 2015, by Islamic extremist Ayoub El-Khazzani on a high-speed train with 500 passengers aboard.
In the interview, Skarlatos recalled how a normal day turned into a life-or-death struggle.
Skarlatos — who was in the Oregon Army National Guard and had recently completed a tour in Afghanistan — was messaging people back home and following the train’s progress on Google Maps.
“We just crossed the border with France. I heard a gunshot, breaking glass and a train employee ran away from the noise at a full sprint,” Skarlatos said over the phone.
“I look back to see what he’s running from and there’s a shirtless man with an AK-47.”
Skarlatos’ friend Spencer Stone charged El-Khazzani, who aimed the rifle at Stone and pulled the trigger. The round was faulty and the gun didn’t fire.
Spencer, Skarlatos and another friend, Anthony Sadler, helped subdue El-Khazzani, who was also armed with a pistol and knife.
Skarlatos hit El-Khazzani in the head with the barrel of the rifle until he lost consciousness under Stone’s chokehold.
The train heroes were presented with the Legion d’Honneur by French President Francois Hollande and received at the White House by President Barack Obama.
Then came a book written by the trio, followed by the movie “The 15:17 to Paris.”
Skarlatos returned to Roseburg. In 2018, he ran for Douglas County Commissioner but lost.
This time, running for Congress, Skarlatos has attracted attention beyond Oregon.
Over 60 percent of his campaign funding comes from out of state, DeFazio said during a debate. Some came from Sen. Ted Cruz.
Skarlatos took his own shot at DeFazio’s campaign funding, saying most comes from political action committees.
DeFazio, who is seen as a moderate, is the powerful chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The veteran congressman supports a $15 national minimum wage and has a pro-choice stance on abortion.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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