"QAnon sheriff" Mark Lamb goes deep into far-right fringe in Arizona Senate race

[marmar]

(Salon) Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, is no stranger to conspiracy theories. He first became a celebrity in right-wing media by refusing to enforce Arizona's stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic, which earned him praise on Fox News and helped him build a large online following.

Now, as Lamb begins a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat-turned-independent Kyrsten Sinema, the Republican sheriff is attempting to boost his political profile by appearing on shows hosted by QAnon conspiracy theorists, according to Media Matters.

"He's basically spent years trying to build up his political profile by appearing on these fringe toxic media outlets, including QAnon," said Eric Hananoki, a senior investigative reporter at Media Matters. This is more than a matter of endorsing unpopular or extreme supporters, Hananoki continued. "QAnon supporters have a history of violence, including attacking police officers. You never want to give fuel to conspiracy theories, but especially conspiracy theories that have a violent aspect to them —that's what the concern is."

To date, Lamb has appeared on at least five QAnon-friendly shows, including the podcasts "X22 Report" and "Uncensored Abe" as well as shows hosted by John Michael Chambers and Sean Morgan, both prominent figures in the QAnon movement who have pushed a variety of conspiracy theories to their audiences. ............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/04/22/qanon-sheriff-mark-lamb-goes-deep-into-far-right-fringe-in-arizona-senate-race/