Mark Lamb, Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, is no stranger to conspiracy theories. He first rose to fame in right-wing media for refusing to enforce Arizona’s stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has allowed Fox to praise him in the news and build a large following online.

Now, as Lamb launches his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democratic independent Kirsten Cinema, the Republican sheriff is slated to swear by appearing on a show hosted by QAnon conspiracy theorists. trying to raise his political profile. According to Media Matters.

“He’s basically spent years trying to build his political profile by appearing in these peripheral toxic media outlets, including QAnon,” said a senior investigative reporter for MediaMatters. This is more than supporting unpopular or extreme supporters, Hanaki continued. “QAnon supporters include attacks on police officers. They have a history of violence, and I definitely don’t want to fuel conspiracy theories, but I especially don’t want to fuel conspiracy theories that have violent aspects to them, and that’s a concern.”

To date, Lam has appeared on at least five QAnon shows, including a podcast.”X22 report” and “Uncensored AbeAs well as a show hosted by John Michael Chambers and Sean Morgan, he has been a prominent figure in the QAnon movement and has spread various conspiracy theories to audiences.

In an appearance on “X22 Report” last January, Lam said: The show literally has a section on its website titled “Latest From QAnon.”

In that interview, Ram claimed Its “drag show” is “designed to break the moral compass that exists in each of us, so it’s easy to really push its evil and corrupt agenda”.

Law enforcement has warned of possible violence by QAnon followers, and Lam is a notable exception as few Republicans in elected office were directly involved in the movement. . His office did not respond to Salon’s request for comment.

“We are in trouble when those in power believe something completely disconnected from reality, especially when they accept conspiracy theory rules about the ‘evidence’ of that belief,” says Q Origins Project. the founder said. Their job is to track movements. Ram is using his position as a law enforcement officer to pander to QAnon followers. This person describes him as “an audience desperately watching his enemies get arrested for crimes that exist only in the heads of their co-conspirators.”

For those familiar with Lam’s history as sheriff of Pinal County, it should come as no surprise that Lam has violated political norms to appeal to far-right audiences. He is involved in outright anti-Semitism.

Lam has emerged as a prominent figure for rejecting pandemic restrictions and supporting election conspiracy theories. He called the Constitutional Sheriffs, a group of right-wing sheriffs who embrace the prejudice that, under the U.S. Constitution, county sheriffs have broad powers to supersede all other federal, state, or local authorities. and was a key figure in the Society of Peacekeepers. (The word “sheriff” does not appear in the Constitution.)

Founded by former Oath Keepers board member Richard Mack, the CSPOA was particularly active during and after the 2020 election, spreading false allegations of widespread voter fraud and investigating whether elections were rigged or plagiarized. He supported Donald Trump’s claim that

Lamb also helped found Protect America Now, a coalition of about 70 sheriffs from different parts of the country who claim to work together to protect America from “government excesses.” . In a published advertisement, the coalition described its mission as “to fight back against liberal takeovers.”

Partnering with True the Vote, a right-wing group exposing voter fraud conspiracies, the coalition has raised more than $100,000 to help sheriffs monitor ballot boxes and give tips on voter fraud ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Funded an anonymous hotline to provide.

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In the frenzied world of Republican politics in Arizona, Lamb has maintained a profile that paints himself as a loyal Trump supporter, even though nearly every Republican candidate who supported Trump’s campaign claims lost in 2022. built. Ram is clearly trying to position himself as right as possible to become one of the hottest races of 2024.

Hananoki of Media Matters said Lamb is following a pattern set by governor candidate Kari Lake, attorney general candidate Mark Finkem, US Senator candidate Blake Masters and Congressman Paul Gosser. . (Only Gosar, running in the Republican safe seat, actually won last year.

Many of the candidates familiar with QAnon are “neither strategic nor calculating nor cynical,” say Q Origins Project researchers. “It probably reflects their actual personal beliefs in the whole right-wing conspiracy theorist’s claims about what’s going on in the world, rather than QAnon itself,” the researchers said.

“Even if they don’t believe in QAnon per se, it’s clear that many Republican lawmakers, candidates, and officials believe in the narratives floating around right-wing conspiracy theorist circles.” The idea that we are destroying America from the inside out by making our children transgender is a salad of utterly incoherent words, but it is a mainstream belief among conservatives.”

Lamb has also built strong allies in conservative institutions much closer to the Republican mainstream, including the Claremont Institute, a think tank affiliated with Trump, of which he is a fellow. He once spoke at a rally hosted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a prominent anti-immigrant organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“Ram has been trying to legitimize the toxic press for years, and as we’ve seen, it’s especially dangerous on January 6,” Hanaki said.

Lamb has obvious irony express condolences for the January 6 riots, flower trees observed. “Interestingly, he’s a law enforcement officer. He gives passage passes to people who have actually committed crimes, in this case his January 6th, but he’s still campaigning on law and order.” It’s an unusual contrast to his media, in appearance and his public rhetoric.”