The Associated Press predicted on Tuesday that far-right commentator and self-professed proud Islamophobe Laura Loomer would lose her race to topple incumbent Rep. Daniel Webster in a Republican House primary in Florida, but Loomer received more than 44% of the vote.
For Florida’s 21st Congressional District, which includes the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump, Laura Loomer won the Republican nomination in 2020.
In the contest, Trump backed Laura Loomer and said she had a “fantastic chance” of winning. In the highly Democratic district, she was defeated by incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel (D) by a significant margin.
The 29-year-old Loomer initially gained recognition for her work with Project Veritas before becoming well-known for her anti-Islamic remarks.
She has publicly praised the 2017 drowning deaths of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, branded Muslims “savages,” and was banned from Uber and Lyft after recommending a another ride-sharing firm that doesn’t hire Muslim drivers.
She has also drawn criticism for pulling off a number of political pranks: She chained herself to the entrance to the Twitter office in New York in 2018 as a form of protest about her expulsion from the social media network.
Tuesday night, after losing by six points, Loomer sobbed as he addressed his supporters. He then refused to give up.
Loomer’s supporters advanced similar accusations of fraud based merely on the speed at which ballots were counted, although offering no proof to substantiate their claims.
Loomer is the most recent Trump ally to refuse to accept defeat in her own party’s primary. Loomer was previously supported by former President Donald Trump in a 2020 race for a different congressional district that she lost by 20 points.