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Believer in QAnon conspiracy theory wins Republican Senate nomination in Oregon
Oregon Republicans on Tuesday elected a Senate nominee who believes in QAnon, the baseless conspiracy theory that has taken root among some far-right supporters of President Trump.
In a video posted to her Twitter feed Tuesday night, Perkins declared that she supports the conspiracy theory, which revolves around “Q,” an anonymous Internet user claiming to be a government agent with top security clearance.
“Where we go one, we go all,” Perkins said in the video, reciting a QAnon slogan. “I stand with President Trump. I stand with Q and the team. Thank you Anons, and thank you patriots. And together, we can save our republic.”
Perkins’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about her belief in the conspiracy theory.
Merkley is heavily favored to win in November, but Perkins’s primary victory nonetheless presents a dilemma for Republicans in Washington.
Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, declined to respond directly when asked whether the GOP Senate campaign arm supports Perkins’s candidacy. Hunt instead criticized several Democratic Senate candidates.
Merkley, too, declined to weigh in. “I don’t have any comment on it,” he said Wednesday at the Capitol.