Conservative activist Laura Loomer is no stranger to controversy. But she believes if she wins the Republican primary to face off against Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel for a November showdown in President Trump’s Palm Beach backyard, she can be a congresswoman.
Loomer, who looks set to capture the Republican nomination on Tuesday, has overcome the hurdle of a ban from virtually every mainstream social media platform to pull in nearly $1.2 million since beginning her campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
This so-called deplatforming occurs when users are said to have violated a company’s terms of service, notably regarding hate speech. Loomer, 27, has been banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and payment processors Paypal, Venmo, and GoFundMe. Loomer has called Islam “a cancer on society” and posted a daylong tirade on social media targeting ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft, in which she called for a “non Islamic form of Uber or Lyft,” which was followed by her ban in 2017. “Uber will literally hire an Islamic terrorist, but they will ban a conservative journalist for addressing legitimate safety concerns,” she protested afterward.
Still, Loomer has outraised Frankel by more than $300,000 and is far outpacing her Republican primary opponents.
She is counting on support from independent voters, she told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “There’s over 150,000 NPAs, or No Party Affiliates, here in District 21,” Loomer said. “And so, this is a winnable race if a lot of these independents end up voting Republican.”
Both candidates are Jewish, but Loomer says her own unequivocal support for Israel gives her an edge with voters who find themselves alienated by the Democratic Party’s leftward shift on the Middle East. Frankel, said Loomer, has failed to sanction the “vicious anti-Semitism and Jew-hatred and anti-Israel rhetoric fomenting in the halls of Congress.”
Frankel’s congressional office did not respond to a request for comment.
Among the issues she believes could drive independent voters into her arms are calls for “defunding” the police and the Democrats’ association with the official Black Lives Matter organization, which Loomer characterized as “Marxist.”
“I’ve met moderate Democrats who’ve told me that they’re absolutely horrified and that they don’t even know if they’re going to vote,” said Loomer. “They said they don’t necessarily like Trump, but they also could never vote for Biden.”
But Loomer will need a big cash infusion if she wins next week’s primary. Frankel ran unopposed in 2018, and her sole challenger in this year’s primary raised less than $25,000, leaving her flush with cash for a fall race.
“It’s a hard pickup no matter what,” said a veteran Republican operative in South Florida. “This has been a tough race, and she’s the one who’s raising the most money and who appears to give you the best shot.”
Trump lost the district to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 20 points.
“All of them are trailing Frankel big time in cash,” this person said. Though Loomer has raised more than Frankel, according to filings, she has also spent vastly more. Frankel has more than $1 million in cash on hand. “If anyone’s willing to do different things and run through a wall, so be it.”
The major “wall” here is the redistricting that carved up Palm Beach after the last census.
Still, this strategist said, “There’s a press to make sure that everyone who could possibly vote Republican turns out in Florida. You want to make sure that people aren’t depressed by the appearance of being left behind.”
Florida Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters likened Loomer’s potential to flip Frankel’s seat in November to other South Florida Republicans gaining steam, including Trump-endorsed Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who is running in the 26th District against incumbent Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
“Once the primary is over, and she’s our candidate, we are going on the offensive,” said Gruters, a member of the Florida state Senate. “I think we have a real opportunity to win some of these races where people didn’t think we had a chance.”
“According to polls, she is looking pretty competitive,” Gruters added.
An endorsement by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a close Trump ally, over the weekend was “a huge boost to her campaign,” said Palm Beach County Republican State Committeewoman Cindy Tindell, who has not taken a position in the primary. “Should she be the nominee, I have no doubt she will beat Lois Frankel. She can win.”
Loomer has also been endorsed by longtime Trump associate, and recent clemency recipient, Roger Stone and received maximum donations from Bernie Marcus, a major Republican donor who speaks to the president often.
Enthusiasm for Trump is high in Palm Beach County, said Tindell. “If people are doubting his support in Palm Beach County, they are misguided.”
Loomer, said Tindell, is the “antidote” to the group of young, female Democratic lawmakers known as the “Squad.” “She’s not the nice girl,” Tindell said. “She’s the warrior. If that resonates, she will be the nominee.”
Loomer’s closest Republican rivals, Reba Sherrill and Christian Acosta, have raised a fraction of Loomer’s haul. Of Sherrill’s $350,102 total filed with the FEC, all but $102 came from a self-administered loan. Acosta has raised a little over $90,000, with $6,115 remaining.
Internal polling for the campaign shows Loomer 9 points ahead of Frankel in her Palm Beach County 21st Congressional District, which leans heavily Democratic, according to team Loomer. The Cook Political Report rates the district D+9. Frankel beat her last Republican challenger 63% to 35% in 2016. She beat the same Republican 58% to 42% in 2014.
“We’ve been running a general election campaign since we launched this race,” Loomer said. “There’s a primary, but my opponent from the very beginning has been Lois Frankel.”
