In October 2008 , Lewis issued a statement criticizing the campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin and accusing them of " sowing the seeds of hatred and division " in a way that brought to mind the late Gov. George Wallace and " another destructive period " in American political history . McCain said he was " saddened " by the criticism from " a man I 've always admired , " and called on Obama to repudiate Lewis 's statement . Obama responded to the statement , saying that he " does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies . " Lewis later issued a follow-up statement clarifying that he had not compared McCain and Palin to Wallace himself , but rather that his earlier statement was a " reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior . " On an African American being elected president , he said : On June 22 , 2016 , House Democrats , led by Lewis and Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark , began a sit-in demanding House Speaker Paul Ryan allow a vote on gun-safety legislation in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting . Speaker pro tempore Daniel Webster ordered the House into recess , but Democrats refused to leave the chamber for nearly 26 hours
Orlando nightclub shooting
Orlando nightclub shooting
John Lewis (civil rights leader)