Watkins posted this photo on Twitter with Kari Lake, candidate for governor.
By Richard Ruelas | Arizona Republic
Ron Watkins, the man whose bulletin board sites hosted the postings that launched the conspiracy theory QAnon — and who some pegged as the author of the cryptic writings — announced that he was running for Congress in Arizona.
Related: Why is it always in Arizona?
Watkins, in a video posted online Thursday night, said he was aiming to unseat Tom O’Halleran in District 1, whom Watkins called “the dirtiest Democrat in the D.C. swamp.”
The video was posted to his channel on Telegram, an online messaging app that was taken up by some pro-Trump supporters after the social media app Parler was removed from online services.
Watkins has posted photos in the past week of himself in Arizona. He posted a photo of himself with Tom Horne, a former state Attorney General and Superintendent of Public Instruction. Horne is seeking a return to the top education post. He also posted a photo with Kari Lake, a former anchor for the Phoenix Fox affiliate who has been drawing a fervent response in her campaign for governor.
It’s unclear whether Watkins lives in Arizona. Residency is not required to seek election to an Arizona congressional seat. Candidates must be a resident only at the time of the election itself.
