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The Old QAnon Gang Is Back on the Campaign Trail

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Photo: Phelan M. Ebenhack (AP)

Media Matters has released the latest edition of its now-regular QAnon candidates series: the checklist of people running for Congress who also adhere to conspiracy theories that helped motivate a violent insurrection. One has even talked about participating in that event. Some already hold office. Fun with friends from the internet.

Out of the 19 candidates documented by Media Matters, 18 are Republicans and one is an Independent. If QAnon is a winning strategy, they could represent constituents across 12 states. Twelve...which is five less than 17, but it must mean something...

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Of the incumbents, God help us, there are Republican Congressperson Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who has feigned ignorance of QAnon despite claiming to be “very familiar” with QAnon, appearing on QAnon shows and evidently following QAnon channels on YouTube. There’s two-term Florida state representative Anthony Sabatini, who tweeted a link to Q drops last year. And Congressgoblin Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who lately compared vaccination badges to the Holocaust and has been rallying with Matt Gaetz.

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The majority ran for Congress last year, and several won party nominations. Christine Quinn (R-FL), who won nearly 40% of the vote for a House seat, tweeted an enormous red Q. Joe Rae Perkins (R-OR), who won 39% of the vote for a senate seat, has literally pledged allegiance to QAnon. Daniel Wood (R-AZ), who won 35% of the vote for a House seat, tweeted a celebratory photo of a woman holding a giant Q along with a Q hashtag. Mike Cargile (R-CA), who won 30% of the vote for a Congressional seat in 2020, put “#Oathkeeper” and “#WWG1WGA” in his Twitter bio. Josh Barnett (R-AZ), who won 20% of the vote for Congress in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District last year, has said that QAnon is “not even a real thing” though typed out the full “WWG1WGA” hashtag a few times.

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More fringe digital warriors like Reba Sherrill (R-FL) lost out on the primary election for a Florida Congress seat to noted “proud Islamophobe” and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer.

Also, there’s a fresh face here: J.R. Majewski, who’s running for Congress in Ohio, discussed breaching police barricades during the Capitol insurrection with his friend, QAnon streamer RedPill78. Here he is wearing a Q logoed T-shirt while displaying his lawn, which he had painted as a giant TRUMP 2020 sign.

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It’s possible that a few like Lauren Boebert and Josh Barnett, who’ve flirted with QAnon and then ran away with fig leaves, were cynically trying to pick up a few easy votes. It’ll be interesting to see whether anyone, on second thought, isn’t completely sold, per se, on the violent ideology used to gain political power.