QAnon Candidates Aren’t Thriving, but Some of Their Ideas Are

There were many booths for political candidates at a conference center in Arizona this month. The table that Ron Watkins sat on was empty.

The campaign manager for Mr. Watkins arrived about 30 minutes after the event began and laid out campaign materials without the candidate in tow.

Mr. Watkins, a computer programmer in his 30s, is in the same situation as many other candidates who have been linked to the conspiracy theory, that having ties to the theory doesn't guarantee a successful campaign.

Mr. Watkins has been outraised by more established Republicans. The two other congressional candidates in Arizona who have shown some level of support for QAnon are behind their competitors in fund-raising. A fourth Arizona candidate has decided to stop campaigning for Congress. The same thing is happening across the country.

The role of conspiracy theories in American politics has changed. Several Q-linked candidates sought higher office and Q merchandise appeared at rallies for then- President Donald J. Trump across the country as the Republican Party flirts with Qnon. Identifying with the movement became a political liability. All but two of the candidates linked to Q lost their races as Democrats attacked them as extremists.

The false belief that deep-state operatives control the government and that Mr. Trump is trying to destroy them are some of the themes that have burrowed into mainstream Republican politics this year. Candidates have found ways to get excited without mentioning the conspiracy theory.

The idea that election results could not be trusted was popularized by QAnon.

According to Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy-theory researcher and the author of "The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Become a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything," the branding of the movement has fallen by the wayside. People don't identify themselves with the idea of being a Qanon believer anymore.

The views of QAnon are widely accepted.

Republican candidates don't talk about the idea that a group of pedophiles is preying on children because it's not something they want to talk about. Liberals are accused of grooming children with progressive sex education. Many Republicans think that a "deep state" of bureaucrats and politicians want to control Americans.

There is a false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from President Trump. The idea was pushed by the movement before Mr. Trump came along.

The false election claims have been supported by 131 candidates who announced bids or filed to run for governor, secretary of state or attorney general this year.

According to Media Matters for America, just 11 of 37 congressional candidates with some history have advanced from the primary to the general election. One of them, J.R. Majewski, is in Ohio's Ninth District. So far this year, 65 current and former congressional candidates have been linked by Media Matters.

J.R. Majewski and Mr. Watkins didn't reply to questions.

Lake, who is considered the front-runner in the Republican primary for Arizona governor, is a model for Republicans who navigate conspiracy theories for political gain.

At a recent campaign stop, election fraud was the main topic. There were hundreds of Trump supporters at the bar. There was no one in the crowd wearing a shirt or hat that was similar to the ones seen at Trump rallies. The woman selling flags and bumper stickers had no Q merchandise.

Mike Rains, an expert on the movement and host of "Adventures in HellwQrld," said that a lot of people likeKari Lake don't believe in Q or Qnon. Ms. Lake is able to get their support without knowing the inner workings of the movement.

Ms. Lake was introduced at the event by a man who was in the military.

He said that Arizona didn't go to Joe Biden and called for citizens to guard ballot drop boxes.

The crowd was loud as Ms. Lake appeared. She was making up stories about the election. She asked the crowd how many of them thought the election was fraudulent.

A spokesman for Ms. Lake wouldn't say anything.

According to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, 41 million Americans believe in the core tenets of the conspiracy theory. Election fraud narratives are more popular.

According to OH Predictive Insights, 27 percent of Arizona Republicans support Mr. Trump. A majority of people think the election was stolen.

About half of Arizonans who are more loyal to the Republican Party think that the election was stolen.

The governor, secretary of state and attorney general are three of the most important elections in Arizona.

The front-runner for Secretary of State centered his campaign on election fraud. He said at the January 6 rally that the election results should be thrown out.

Mr. Watkins and Mr. Finchem both spoke at the conference. One of his slogans reads, " Protect our children," which is similar to the popular slogan, "Save the children."

Some of the conspiratorial tendencies that come with QAnon were picked up by the broader culture war. It was a merger.

A candidate for Arizona attorney general jumped in the polls after Donald Trump endorsed him. The candidates for attorney general said during a debate that they would not sign the election results.

The two men did not respond to questions.

In Arizona's Second Congressional District, where Mr. Watkins is running, there was a lot of election deniers. He said during the debate that he was not Q and that he was not. He pointed out that Mr. Trump had posted on the subject. He was defeated by his competitors.

The election was taken away. During the debate, Walt Blackman, a Republican in Arizona's House of Representatives, said that they understood that.

Mr. Holt said that Mr. Watkins may have thought that Arizona's embrace of conspiracy theories could propel him from online celebrity to real world politician. It was difficult to stand out in a race where almost everyone supported the election- fraud conspiracy theory.

A person on the conspiracy-brain right wing gets a lot of attention online and they think that they are popular. It's just a miserable crash and burn when they try to run for office.