Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman," screams "Freedom" inside the U.S. Senate chamber after the U.S. Capitol was breached by a mob during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The so-called “QAnon Shaman” has tossed his horned hat into the ring, and is preparing to run for Congress. The Shaman, whose real name is Jacob Chansley, was once described by a federal judge as “the public face” of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Late last week, Chansley filed paperwork signaling his intent to run in Arizona’s 8th congressional district as a Libertarian. That seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, a 64-year-old Republican, who announced last month that she would not seek re-election after representing the district since 2018. Chansley was seen on video storming the U.S. Capitol shirtless, wearing furs, a horned viking hat, and red, white, and blue face paint, while wielding a spear with an American flag tied to it. The surreal images featuring Chansley become some of the most recognizable of the insurrection. He was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison, but was released earlier this year after serving 27. He claims to have since disavowed QAnon, but his recent posts on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, are littered with references to conspiracy theories, and the “Deep State.” He has also suggested that “underground tunnel systems” beneath airports are being used to traffic children. Over the summer he posted a series of videos in which he appears dressed like the Joker and shares other conspiracy theories, including “Mockingbird Media” which claims that the CIA are manipulating American media for propaganda purposes. In the years since the riot, conservative influencers and some members of the GOP have sought to cast Jan. 6 defendants as “political prisoners” of the “Biden Regime.” Attempts to whitewash the events of that day have given some of these rioters grievance fodder to mount political campaigns. Chansley isn’t the first Jan. 6 rioter to run for office after the face. Derrick Evans, a former Republican state House Representative from West Virginia, is running for U.S. Congress. New Hampshire man Jason Riddle, who was seen on video chugging wine inside the Capitol and served jail time, is also running for Congress next year. He filed to run in last year’s midterm elections but was unable to get his campaign off the ground. Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.
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