Six-term Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) survived a primary challenge from right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer for Florida’s 11th Congressional District in a race that was far closer than analysts expected.
Webster, who has been in Florida politics since 1980, is almost ensured another term in Congress due to the strong Republican lean in the district. Loomer, 29, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and has a background in guerrilla-style journalism and publicity stunts, and for some time during the vote count, she appeared to have a narrow lead over Webster before losing by about 6 points.
ROGER STONE: ‘FREEZE SOME OF MY SPERM IN CASE LAURA LOOMER DECIDES TO BEAR MY CHILD’
Webster, 73, won against Loomer despite his lower name recognition in the redrawn 11th District, which now only contains about a third of the base that previously elected him. Loomer attacked him for his age and painted him as part of the establishment, a risky move in a district that has more residents over the age of 65 than anywhere else in the state.
She slammed the Republican Party following the news of her primary loss on Tuesday, refusing to concede the race and claiming voter fraud rigged the race in favor of Webster.
“I’m not conceding because I’m a winner, and the reality is, our Republican Party is broken to its core,” Loomer told supporters on Tuesday. “We have further exposed the corruption within our own feckless, cowardly Republican Party.”
Loomer was more successful in fundraising than Webster, and according to early August Federal Election Commission filings, she had raised $763,000 to his $595,000. She won the Republican primary in Florida’s 21st District in 2020 but lost to Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel by 20 points. Her past publicity stunts include handcuffing herself to Twitter’s New York headquarters in 2018 after she was banned from the platform and being arrested on disorderly conduct and trespassing charges for walking onstage to interrupt a 2017 performance of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that portrayed the titular character as Trump.
“Because of her effectiveness, Loomer was targeted by the Left and Big Tech, and is banned on nearly every single social media platform, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, PayPal, Venmo, GoFundMe, Medium, TeeSpring, and even Chase Bank shut down her access to her online banking!” her campaign website says.
Loomer is seemingly close with Trump ally Roger Stone, who offered to freeze his sperm for her to carry his child at some point in the future.
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Yeah, this is extremely normal pic.twitter.com/A8FGQmJBGK
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) November 9, 2021
Webster will face Democratic nominee Shante Munns in November, though the district leans Republican by 19 points and is considered a safe GOP seat.
