Sen. Kelly Loeffler donated $2,000 to QAnon supporter and anti-LGBTQ candidate Angela Stanton-King

Written by Eric Hananoki

Research contributions from Kaila Philo

Published

An image of Kelly Loeffler

When Sen. Kelly Loeffler recently campaigned with right-wing commentator and congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, it wasn’t the first time that the Georgia Republican was legitimizing a QAnon supporter. Loeffler has also donated to author, publishing house owner, and television personality Angela Stanton-King, another QAnon candidate. 

Loeffler’s support for QAnon backers is part of a larger trend of Republican organizations and elected officials helping build up QAnon, a conspiracy theory that got its start through online message boards and has been labeled a potential domestic terrorism threat by the FBI. 

Loeffler, who was appointed to her seat, is running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, which has a special election “jungle” format with 21 candidates. The Republican recently appeared at an endorsement event with Greene and released a campaign advertisement with her. 

Greene is a QAnon supporter who is virtually guaranteed to win her congressional race in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. She is also a 9/11 conspiracy theorist who has a history of promoting anti-Muslim anti-Semitic views. 

In June, Loeffler donated $2,000 to Stanton-King, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission. Stanton-King is running a longshot campaign against Democratic candidate and Georgia state Sen. Nikema Williams in Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. The donation was previously reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

Stanton-King repeatedly promoted QAnon prior to Loeffler’s donation, including posting a QAnon video from a leading QAnon conspiracy theorist to Instagram and twice tweeting out the QAnon slogan. From Media Matters’ guide to QAnon congressional candidates: 

On Instagram, Stanton-King has posted a QAnon video from a well-known promoter of the conspiracy theory. She has also tweeted the QAnon slogan more than once, and she has tweeted, “We are the news now,” a phrase used by QAnon supporters (she has also pushed the Pizzagate conspiracy theory). Despite all of that, she has since denied to The Associated Press that she supports the conspiracy theory, claiming she posted the video as part of “questioning the movement” and that she used a QAnon hashtag in order to “extend her reach” on social media.

Stanton-King has also pushed anti-LGBTQ bigotry, including on social media. On October 6, for instance, she tweeted: “I don’t know who needs to hear this but if you support LBGTQ+ Youth, you support Pedophilia.” 

In July, Stanton-King tweeted photos of herself with various Republican officials, including Loeffler and one of her Senate election opponents, Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia: