EX-QUSE ME?

QAnon Ringleader May Be Eyeing a Run for Congress

Ron Watkins may or may not be Q himself.

Ron Watkins has been keeping busy in Arizona this week. Along with rubbing elbows with some of the state’s Republicans, the conspiracy theorist and QAnon leader might have filed paperwork on Thursday indicating he’s considering a run for Congress from the state. VICE News reports that an email address associated with Watkins sent a “statement of interest” to the Arizona secretary of state’s office. Watkins has been confirmed to have previously used that address. The statement is an obligatory precursor to a candidate’s attempt to acquire enough signatures to hoist themselves onto the ballot. Watkins did not respond to requests for comment.

Watkins, now a right-wing commentator and Telegram channel host with more than 400,000 followers, previously ran the discussion site on which the fictional government official known as Q lurked for years, whipping up agitated online commenters into the conspiratorial frenzy now known as QAnon. Watkins has repeatedly denied that he is Q but may have accidentally outed himself as the hustler behind the conspiracy curtain in an HBO docuseries from earlier this year. VICE reported Thursday that, by all accounts, Watkins doesn’t actually appear to live in Arizona. If he is planning on launching a campaign, however, the moving truck could be backing up his driveway any day now.