Outsider Laura Loomer wins GOP House primary, gets Trump congrats tweet

Political commentator Laura Loomer on Tuesday night succeeded in her outsider bid to win a House GOP primary in Florida, defeating five opponents and getting congratulations from President Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home is in her district.

Loomer, 27, will now face four-term Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel in the state’s Democrat-leaning 21 congressional district, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Loomer – dubbed “the Republicans’ AOC” – emerged late in her primary as a frontrunner largely on strong fundraising and support from bold names Roger Stone, a former Trump adviser, and far-right radio host Alex Jones.

Loomer got the name tag from Stone, who has compared her to political provocateur and freshman New York Democratic Rep. Alexenadria Ocasio-Cortez. 

“She’s young. She’s energetic. She’s feisty. She’s anti-establishment, and she has an enormous national following, as does AOC, which can help finance a congressional race,” Stone said this spring. 

To be sure, some of Loomer’s opinions are not those of the establishment or mainstream. Her views about Islam have resulted in her being banned on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Trump on Wednesday tweeted and retweeted support for Loomer, a first-time candidate. 

“Great going Laura. You have a great chance against a Pelosi puppet!,” tweeted Trump, referring to Frankel and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, leader the Democrat-controlled House.