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Lauren Boebert speaking in Collbran, Colorado, in October. Photo: Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Republican gun-rights activist Lauren Boebert defeated Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.
Why it matters: Boebert, a first-time candidate who defeated five-term GOP incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton in the state's June primary, has expressed support for the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, saying in May she hopes it "is real."
Context: QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that purports without proof that posts by an anonymous internet user from within the federal government are alluding to a secret war that the "deep state" is waging against President Trump.
- Boebert told Axios in July that she does not follow QAnon, but is "glad the IG and the AG are investigating deep state activities that undermine the President." It remains unclear what investigation Boebert was referring to.
The big picture: Her victory demonstrates how a fringe online forum built on unsubstantiated claims is gaining a foothold in the U.S. political mainstream, though some sitting Republican members of Congress, like Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), have denounced the conspiracy theory outright.
- Online conspiracies like QAnon has been flagged by the FBI as a domestic terrorism threat.
- QAnon conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene also won House race in Georgia.
Go deeper: QAnon conspiracy theory explodes ahead of the election