Why a Sacramento-area Trump supporter with cancer went to Washington to protest
Yvonne Howerton has a full plate. She is a wife to Rich, a mother of two adult children, and is a small-business owner — Just Tumble gymnastics in Roseville. She holds her family and faith close to her heart.
She also is a supporter of President Donald Trump.
Howerton, 48, traveled from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. She was there Wednesday for the Trump rally that ultimately turned into a fatal disruption of the democratic process on Capitol Hill, leaving five people dead.
She was inspired by the peaceful protest part of the day. And repulsed by those who stormed the Capitol.
Trump supporters rushed into the building after hearing the president speak nearby. A woman from San Diego was shot and killed by Capitol police. A Capitol police officer died from injuries sustained in the riot. Three other people died, leading to calls for Trump’s impeachment.
What was in the mind of a local Trump supporter witnessing the ugly consequences and has led to debates as to whether the president should be impeached? Why go at all?
“To stand for freedom, because I believe in the Constitution and everything America is founded on,” Howerton said by phone from her Washington hotel room.
Howerton also headed east because she said she felt a sense of added urgency. She has cervical cancer, she said. It has metastasized to her lungs and to lymph nodes near her heart. Her next round of treatment is later this month. She does not want to miss out on experiences, has a grandson on the way, and has tried to remain optimistic.
She is “disgusted” that this experience plunged into chaos and death.
“I know I’m sick but I don’t feel that I’m dying,” she said. “I’m on medications, home remedies, taking a lot of greens, liquid-form greens.”
Cancer scare
The Howertons have been married for about 24 years. Son Austin, the father to be, played football at Del Oro High School and was part of the team’s first CIF State Bowl team in 2001. Daughter Kara grew up in gymnastics and cheer, which inspired the opening of Just Tumble gymnastics. She won a world-championship competition in cheerleading at 17, in 2013.
The Howertons are proof that husband-and-wife can run a business without driving each other batty.
May 31, 2017 she learned she had cancer. It was the second family blow for Howerton. When she was 11, Howerton lost her mother, Carolyn, to leukemia, a cancer of the blood-forming tissues. She was 30.
“I think of her all the time, and she’s my angel assigned to me to get through my cancer,” Howerton said. “When I first got my diagnosis, I thought I was going to die. I cried for two weeks, a lot of self pity. Then I decided that I don’t have to die, that I can fight this, that I can be positive and optimistic, and I didn’t want my kids to be afraid of me dying, or my husband being afraid.”
Before the chaos
“I’m still alive for a reason, including to not keep my mouth shut on what I believe in regarding politics,” she said. “I no longer censor my views.”
She censored for a while. Howerton said her husband initially frowned on her strong political takes on social media, such as Facebook. Her posts from this week include a debunked post about antifa supporters raiding the Capitol, not Trump supporters.
Her Facebook is full of strong pro-Trump political takes, including family group photos with a Trump flag. She also has reposted allegations of election fraud that have no basis in truth.
“In 2016, when Trump won the election, I lost some family ties over my political views,” Howerton said. “As for our gym, we’re open for anyone. We have a lot of like-minded people. We’ve had the place for nearly 11 years. We closed like everyone else, then reopened, and we’ve gone against Gov. Newsom’s shutdown orders at times because we feel that exercise and kids activities are essential, that kids need it for their health and mental health.
“I feel this way especially when Home Depot and Walmart are packed with people. Doesn’t make sense”
The Howertons said they shared similar talks with like-minded folks at the nation’s Capitol.
“The people we spoke to and stood with were good people, friendly, God-loving people, peaceful,” Howerton said. “We didn’t come across like the crazy people who entered the Capitol. They were not part of us. I didn’t feel that the media showed the peaceful part, just the bad part. What those crazy people did was extreme, way too extreme. It didn’t have to get like that. It was super sad.”
She immediately obeyed the curfew order and Trump’s suggestion people go home, because, “I wasn’t going to risk my life that way.”
“I’m going to continue to pray,” she said of herself and for people in general. “Maybe we needed this to happen in D.C. for the bigger picture. I’m scared to death of what’s happening in this country, the socialism movement, of freedoms being taken away. It seems like the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting more poor.”
Rich Howerton was initially leery of his wife going to Washington. He worried about her health and he didn’t know what to expect with the crowds. They decided to go because she wouldn’t accept no.
“People were peaceful, friendly — before it got bad,” he said. “I’m not a fan of violence, and I’m pissed off that those guys broke into the Capitol. I’m sorry they did because they don’t represent all of us, and it really ruined the whole thing.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 6:40 AM with the headline "Why a Sacramento-area Trump supporter with cancer went to Washington to protest."