'QAnon shaman' Jacob Chansley running for Congress as Libertarian to represent Arizona

Jacob Chansley, who became known as the "QAnon shaman" who wore a fur-horned hat and facepaint when he entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, has filed the paperwork to run for Arizona's 8th Congressional District as a Libertarian. 

He filed the paperwork late last week for the 2024 election. He was released from prison into a halfway house in March after being arrested in January 2021 and sentenced in November 2021 to 41 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding. Chansley, who also goes by the name Jake Angeli, was released from the halfway house in May. 

Chansley is running for the seat currently held by outgoing GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko, who won reelection in 2022 without opposition. Former Arizona Republican Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh entered the Republican primary for Lesko's seat, as did Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and former Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters.

Chansley said in September on X, formerly Twitter, that he is a "centrist libertarian who believes in the US Constitution & Freedom." Since serving time in prison, Chansley has turned himself into a media figure and started hosting what he calls the "Forbidden Truth Academy."

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