“OUR ENEMIES EAT BABIES,” a supporter of alt-right congressional candidate Laura Loomer wrote on her Telegram channel, moments after it was announced that the America First candidate had lost her primary to incumbent Rep. Dan Webster in Florida’s 11th Congressional District.
That supporter was joined by hundreds of others outraged at the loss, believing that Loomer’s opponents had stolen the election.
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“These people are evil,” one wrote. “Recount,” wrote another. “Never concede Laura,” yet another wrote.
Of course, there’s no evidence that there was any fraud in Tuesday’s vote. But almost instantly, in what’s become the go-to playbook for election deniers, so-called election experts posted charts showing a spike in votes for Webster—which is consistent with how votes are always reported on election night—and claimed without evidence that this is some sort of fraud.
Loomer gave her supporters even more reason to post wild allegations when she told them she has no intention of conceding defeat, after losing by just 6 points in a race that was much closer than many in the GOP establishment would have liked.
“I’m not conceding, because I’m a winner, and the reality is our Republican Party is broken to its core,” Loomer told her supporters at a watch party after the official results had been announced. “What we have done tonight has really, honestly, shocked the nation. We have further exposed the corruption in our own feckless, cowardly Republican Party.”
She went on to plead with the same Republican Party to address what she baselessly claimed was widespread voter fraud. “We are losing our country because of Big Tech election interference, and I am pleading with the Republican Party to please start taking this issue seriously. Please,” she said tearfully.
For the last two years, Republicans across the country, led by former President Donald Trump, have boosted the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The result has been an increasing number of candidates who simply refuse to accept they lost. Like Loomer, indicted Colorado county clerk Tina Peters refused to accept she lost her primary for secretary of state in June.
A number of Loomer’s supporters on Tuesday night urged her to follow Peters’ lead and call for a recount. Peters did get a recount, but she had to pay $250,000 for it—and it showed that the initial count was accurate.
Loomer, a former Infowars reporter who spread school shooting conspiracy theories, managed to get over 44 percent of the vote despite openly espousing a radical, extremist ideology.
She has in the past claimed to have been a “proud Islamophobe” calling Islam a “cancer on society” and referring to Muslims as “savages.” She has also stated she’s “pro-white nationalism,” and said she wanted “more” migrant deaths.
Her racist statements have seen her banned from all mainstream digital platforms, but that didn’t not keep her from coming close to defeating an incumbent who’s been in Congress for over a decade.
Loomer is part of a growing radical far-right wing of the Republican Party, and she showed her allegiances on Tuesday night by hosting America First leader Nick Fuentes, anti-LGBTQ activist and QAnon promoter Lauren Witzke, as well as the editor of the racist VDARE website Peter Brimelow.
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