Backed by Trump allies, QAnon promoter vies for Georgia House seat https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/06/backed-by-trump-allies-qanon-promoter-vies-for-georgia-house-seat/ In a recent TV ad, Marjorie Greene, a Republican primary candidate in Georgia’s reliably red 14th District, holds an AR-15 rifle in front of what appears to be her home. “Antifa terrorists have declared war on America,” she says shortly before cocking the rifle. “Rioting, looting and burning our cities, George Soros, Hollywood elites and Joe Biden’s staff are funding Antifa.” The spot is similar to an ad recently banned from Facebook for having a prominent weapon. In all, Greene spent over $106,000 on Facebook ads, more than double what the next highest-spending candidate in the race spent on online ads. The controversy earned her a barrage of press just before the June 9 primary. Greene has raised and spent more than the other eight candidates running for a House seat left open by Rep. Tom Graves’ (R-Ga.) resignation. The Associated Press called the race one of Georgia’s most competitive primaries. She is also one of dozens of candidates running for federal office across the country that have promoted the alt-right QAnon conspiracy theory, six of whom have already guaranteed a spot on November’s ballots. Like several other QAnon supporting candidates, Marjorie Greene has the backing of several members of President Donald Trump’s inner-circle. But unlike most, she has a real shot of winning a seat come November. As of May 20, she has outraised the rest of them combined, including Oregon U.S. Senate candidate Jo Rae Perkins, who recently won her state’s primary. Dog whistles evoking alt-right conspiracy theories are a major part of Greene’s campaign, and were also central to her rise to political prominence.  Since 2017, Greene has built a social media following on the far right through confrontational videos with prominent left-leaning figures. In one video, Greene accused David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, of “using kids” to push an anti-gun agenda. In another, she accused Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) of being an illegitimate congressperson because she was sworn in with a Quran instead of a Bible. Greene used her platform to voice her support for QAnon — an alt-right conspiracy theory that began on the online message board 4chan and purports that a cabal of left-wing pedophiles has taken over the U.S. government. One of Greene’s largest vendors, which her campaign paid over $45,000, is Elections LLC, a political law firm that represents candidates and committees. The firm is run by former Deputy White House Counsel Stefan Passantino, who also represented Trump during his fight against Democratic congressional subpoenas after leaving his White House role. According to Greene, Passantino was hired as her attorney and Elections LLC as her FEC compliance team. Passantino did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Elections LLC also received $290,000 from the Trump campaign this cycle and $60,000 from the Republican National Committee. Other prominent Trump allies have also bolstered Greene’s campaign. The House Freedom Fund, a PAC associated with Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, spent $44,000 backing Greene and delivered $78,000 in earmarked contributions to her campaign. Greene also received endorsements from prominent Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the House Freedom Caucus and the gun rights group Gun Owners of America.  Another member of Trump’s orbit with ties to QAnon-boosting candidates is Roger Kiger, who founded an early pro-Trump super PAC, Citizens for Restoring USA, in 2015. First hearing about the super PAC in an interview with the Washington Post, Trump claimed not to know Kiger, who is a Mar-A-Lago regular. In the same interview, Kiger also called Trump a “friend,” but clarified by saying that Trump would likely not know who he was. Yet a few years later, Kiger was driving Trump’s limousine in the presidential motorcade and claimed to have gotten a tour of Air Force One, according to pictures and statements on Kiger’s social media. The Secret Service regularly uses unpaid volunteers as motorcade drivers. Kiger is also listed as a vendor for Florida candidate Michael Bluemling Jr., another candidate who has tweeted support for QAnon, as well as the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory, according to Media Matters. Republican House candidates James Bradley and Nicholas Vessio, running for California’s 33rd District and Florida’s 18th District respectively, have also listed Kiger as a vendor.  Vessio recently appeared on the YouTube show “Steel Truth,” hosted by QAnon supporter Ann Vandersteel, where he discussed his baseless belief that Imams are sneaking into Mexico and converting immigrants to Islam before they enter the U.S. Bradley has made claims on social media that Democrats committed crimes against humanity and has also stoked anti-immigrant sentiment with claims that looser border regulation would mean “destroying innocent lives.” Bluemling dropped out of the Florida race, saying the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from getting enough signatures to qualify. Vessio’s primary is Aug. 18. Bradley placed second in an open primary, but is unlikely to win in November in California’s blue 33rd District. Of the dozens of candidates who have run in a primary campaign either currently supporting or having previously supported QAnon conspiracy theories, six will appear on a ballot in November. Another, Texas’ 16th District candidate Samuel Williams, received the most votes in his primary, but will face a runoff. Twelve, including Greene, still have primaries ahead. The Southern Poverty Law Center put Marjorie Greene on their hate-watch list because of her anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric on Facebook, as well her ties to known militia groups including the Three Percenters.