QAnon Casts a Shadow Over Local Governments
The conspiracy theory has gained followers among state and local governments nationwide
Life in the small coastal town of Sequim, Washington, was upended last summer when Mayor William Armacost loudly and unapologetically promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory on a local radio broadcast. Six months later, in the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, Armacost denied he “endorsed” QAnon. And yet, he had called it a “truth movement” and shared posts related to the conspiracy theory on social media. Residents, a majority of whom voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, were deeply alarmed by his refusal to disavow a fringe and dangerous conspiracy theory, one the FBI has labeled a domestic terrorism threat, and his subsequent efforts to push his critics out of government.
In normal times, publicly supporting the false belief that our government is secretly run by a global cabal of sex-trafficking, blood-drinking, baby-eating pedophile and Satanist elites who can only be stopped by a former president would end the careers of anyone in politics and public service. But it hasn’t been “normal times” for a while now, which has allowed a small number of Republicans up and down the ballot to latch on to QAnon.
