Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, said Wednesday — the day Congress was set to count electoral votes in the 2020 Presidential Election but was interrupted by a riot started by Trump supporters in the nation's capital —  is "a dark day for our republic."

Podlodowski issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon:

“Every member of our delegation who we have been able to reach are safe, as are their staff. We are hoping for the safety of everyone in the Capitol, including the staff and Capitol police who are working to provide security for those who were peacefully gathered to certify the results of this democratic election.

"Speaker Pelosi and soon-to-be Majority Leader Schumer are calling for Trump to demand his people leave peacefully, and we echo their call for a return to peaceful order in DC.

"This is not new to the Republican Party under Trump, either here in Washington State or nationally. This is the culmination of four years of his dangerous, anti-democratic rhetoric. We’ve seen repeated instances of the embrace of this kind of extremist violence among the WA GOP, who have failed time and time again to condemn that behavior.

"This is a dark day for our republic, but there is a new dawn ahead for our nation. With Democrats in control of the Senate after last night’s victories in Georgia and President-elect Joe Biden set to take office in two weeks, Americans can rest assured that this unacceptable behavior will not be forgotten and those responsible will surely be held accountable.”