A QAnon Follower May Win This U.S. Congressional Seat

TOPLINE

A follower of the online right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory appears to have a straightforward path to winning a U.S. Congressional seat from a district in Georgia, setting the stage for what could be the first open supporter of the “deep state” conspiracy theory taking a seat in the U.S. legislature.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

QAnon first emerged on the message board 4chan in 2017 and quickly gained a foothold among right-wing circles online, especially while Robert Mueller conducted his investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election. The conspiracy theory has also ramped up during the coronavirus pandemic, promoting skepticism at the government response to the pandemic and making claims like saying Dr. Anthony Fauci is a deep state actor.

The conspiracy theory generally cites a New World Order acting against Trump and aiming to erase traditional western values. That New World Order is backed by a global cabal of child sex traffickers, QAnon clims, made up of liberal Hollywood actors and Democratic Party figures like Hillary Clinton and George Soros, among others. An FBI memo written last year warned that the agency considered QAnon and its followers “conspiracy theory-driven domestic terrorists.”

CRITICAL QUOTE

“Antifa terrorists have declared war on America,” Greene said in a campaign ad before cocking an AR-15 rifle. “Rioting, looting and burning our cities, George Soros, Hollywood elites and Joe Biden’s staff are funding Antifa.”

Greene’s slogan is “Save America, Stop Socialism!”

TANGENT

Though Trump has not publicly endorsed QAnon, he has done little to denounce it or question the credibility of the conspiracy theories. On several occasions, he has retweeted posts from open QAnon followers.

FURTHER READING

The Prophecies of Q (The Atlantic)

Marjorie Greene, John Cowan likely headed for runoff in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District (Calhoun Times)

Trump spent his holidays retweeting QAnon and Pizzagate accounts (Vox)