Topline
Laura Loomer—a far-right pundit and self-described “proud Islamophobe”—lost her bid to unseat incumbent Rep. Daniel Webster in a Republican House primary in Florida, the Associated Press projected Tuesday, but Loomer earned more than 44% of the vote.
Laura Loomer stands across from the Women’s March in New York City on January 19, 2019.
Key Facts
The AP called the GOP primary in Florida’s 11th Congressional District for Webster at 8:21 p.m., with more than 95% of votes counted.
Webster led Loomer 50.7% to 44.5% in the central Florida congressional district, with just over 5,200 votes separating the two candidates, according to the AP.
Loomer is ahead in Sumter County—which is home to The Villages, a massive retirement community—but Webster leads in the district’s three other counties, which span suburban and rural areas west of Orlando.
Webster will still need to run against Democratic nominee Shante Munns in November, but the district favors Republicans.
Tangent
In 2020, Loomer earned the Republican nomination for Florida’s 21st Congressional District, which includes former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Trump supported Loomer in that race, claiming she had a “great chance” of winning. She lost to incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel (D) by a wide margin in the heavily Democratic district.
Key Background
29-year-old Loomer first drew attention through her work with Project Veritas, before later earning notoriety for her Islamophobic comments. She has called Muslims “savages,” she publicly celebrated the 2017 drowning deaths of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, and she was banned from Uber and Lyft after suggesting an alternative ride-sharing company that refuses to employ Muslim drivers. She has also raised eyebrows for carrying out a series of political stunts: In 2018, she protested her suspension from Twitter by chaining herself to the front door of the social media platform’s New York office.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/08/23/far-right-activist-laura-loomer-narrowly-loses-florida-gop-house-primary/