Multiple political candidates who have affiliated with, appealed to, or supported the QAnon conspiracy theory or its followers at some level are running for office during the 2021-2022 election cycle.
QAnon revolves around an anonymous account known as “Q,” who claimed that former President Donald Trump had a secret plot that would take down his perceived enemies, the “deep state,” and a cabal of Democratic pedophiles. Some supporters of QAnon have been tied to violent incidents and participated in the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol, and government agencies have issued internal warnings over the false conspiracy theory. QAnon supporters have also played a crucial role in spreading false claims about voter fraud occurring during the 2020 presidential election.
Now, multiple candidates who have expressed some level of support for the conspiracy theory or its followers are running for a range of different offices across the country in 2021 and 2022. Media Matters is tracking those candidates who are:
- running for offices that administer statewide elections (secretaries of state or equivalent offices).
Media Matters will be updating these lists throughout the election cycle as more candidates are discovered.