Laura Loomer Loses Congressional Race Despite Trump's Support
Laura Loomer is a far-right media personality with a controversy plagued by Islamophobic past, but that didn't stop President Donald Trump from supporting her. Even the president's backing couldn't help her win her bid to represent Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In other words, Trump votes will continue to be represented by Lois Frankel, a Democrat, in the congressional district. According to the Associated Press, Frankel won her reelection bid in the state's 21st Congressional District, which encompasses Palm Beach, by an impressive 20 point margin. Loomer, 27, won the Republican nomination back in Aug., but it was highly unlikely that she would win this loyal blue district.
Loomer has been banned from nearly every social media platform, citing her anti-Muslim speech. Nevertheless, she had the support from the district's most influential resident, Trump. A native New Yorker, the president, is registered to vote at Mar-a-Lago. In Aug., he called Frankel a puppet of Pelosi in his tweet, adding that Loomer had a greater chance at winning.
Moreover, the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump also accompanied Loomer at a campaign event, USA Today reported. Loomer came into the spotlight in the hard-right media circles because of her involvement in Project Veritas, which is a group known for using dubious footage to accuse left-leaning politicians and media outlets of wrongdoing, according to The New York Times.
She later garnered recognition as an activist and an Islamophobic media commentator. Loomer even lauded the deaths of 2,000 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea on Twitter. Uber and Lyft banned her after tweeting about the need to create a non-Islamic form of the companies, noting that she did not want to support another Islamic immigrant driver, NBC News reported.
On top of that, Loomer plays a vital role in spreading dubious theories about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that took place in Parkland, Florida, and continues working for InfoWars, a conspiracy website.
Frankel, 72, is a former lawyer who has been a part of the Congress for the last three years. She won 59.2 percent of the vote by the time 90 percent of the ballot was counted. Loomer, on the other hand, managed to garner only 38.9 percent of the vote.
Earlier this year, GOP strategist Roger Stone touted Loomer as the Republicans AOC, alluding to N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Stone pointed out that Loomer is young, energetic, and feisty, and aside from being anti-establishment, she has a huge nation-wide following, just like AOC, which can provide money to run a congressional race.