The QAnon candidates: How the conspiracy cult got on the ballot

The QAnon delusion has entered the Republican mainstream.

A cult-like movement powered by a sprawling online conspiracy that believes Donald Trump will arrest prominent Democrats and defeat a cabal of satan-worshipping, child-trafficking lawmakers and celebrities has found an audience among dozens of candidates in local and federal elections across the US.

Supporters of the conspiracy – which traffics in antisemitic and racist tropes that have circulated for decades – have joined campaign rallies for the president and appeared on social media feeds from members of his inner circle, including his own Twitter page, which has shared several posts from QAnon-affiliated accounts.