J.R. Majewski, an Ohio GOP congressional candidate, was a January 6 participant and has repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material

By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN

J.R. Majewski, the Air Force veteran who won the GOP primary for Ohio’s new 9th Congressional District, was a January 6 rally participant and has repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material — including a video showing him painting his lawn to say Trump 2020 with “Q” replacing the zeros.

Majewski emerged victorious in Tuesday’s crowded Republican primary and will face off against long-serving Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the newly drawn district this November.

Before running for Congress, Majewski was best known as the Trump supporter who painted his front lawn into a 19,000-square-foot Trump 2020 sign. He later appeared in the MAGA rapper Forgiato Blow’s song “Let’s Go Brandon Save America,” by rapping one verse decrying “woke” politics after he launched his campaign.

Majewski was deployed in the Middle East in the early 2000s during Operation Enduring Freedom, according to his campaign website. He currently works in the nuclear energy industry.

CNN’s KFile reviewed since-deleted and public tweets that show Majewski with a group of people who attended the January 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally throughout the day in various places outside the Capitol — including a video in which a member of the group leads them in repeating the slogan of QAnon. The camera moves past Majewski in the crowd just before the slogan is repeated, so he is not visible as other members in the group are seen saying the slogan. Majewski has denied being a QAnon follower.

Majewski and the man who initally shouted the slogan appear to have briefly hosted a YouTube show together called “EarCandy.” It appeared on Majewski’s YouTube channel before being removed. The same channel now appears to represent his campaign.

“Where we go one, we go all,” the group said, repeating the catchphrase in QAnon mythology.

Followers of the tentpole QAnon conspiracy theory believe there is a “deep state” within the US government that is controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. According to the theory, the cabal is largely run by Democratic politicians and liberal celebrities who work to traffic children — and former President Donald Trump is trying to take them down with the help of QAnon “patriots.” Their work will come to fruition on a day known as the “Storm,” when thousands of people will be arrested and face military tribunals and mass executions for their alleged crimes.

Majewksi posted a photo in a since-deleted tweet that shows him and at least two attendees of the group with their heads photoshopped on the Founding Fathers with the caption, “It’s going down on 1/6.” One picture, posted by Majewski and later deleted, shows him raising his fist in a crowd in front of the Capitol, saying he had gone there to “protest peacefully” and left “when it got ugly.”

Majewski did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Repeated sharing of QAnon hashtags, memes and rhetoric

In April 2021, Majewski denied supporting QAnon in an interview with the Toledo Blade, saying, “I’ve never read any QAnon drop — what they call the ‘Q-Drop.” A “Q-drop” refers to messages posted by the anonymous “Q” who originally fed the conspiracy theory.

But a CNN KFile review of Majewski’s tweets shows that despite claiming not to follow Q’s updates, Majewski engaged with QAnon hashtags, memes and rhetoric frequently online prior to this interview. Between July 2020 and January 2021 on his now-deleted personal Twitter account, Majewski tweeted the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA — which stands for “Where we go one, we go all” — more than 50 times.

He also shared other overt QAnon hashtags such as #QArmy, #PatriotsAwakened, #DemoPedo and #WakeUpAmerica and QAnon-themed memes, including an image of a “Q” colored in with an American flag and the “Where We Go One We Go All” QAnon catchphrase in July 2020. On several occasions, he substituted the letter “Q” in pro-Trump phrases, such as the “Silent MajQrity” and “Trump 2Q2Q.” He also tweeted at a QAnon fan account called Qanon76.

After Majewski gained national attention for his Trump lawn, he appeared in news coverage wearing a white T-shirt with a large “Q” embellished with an American flag. He later replied to a tweet confirming that it was a “Q,” and noted that he also wore a Trump 2020 badge the campaign had asked him to wear. A day later, he tweeted, “Here come the helicopters flying over better get my Qutfit on and hit the front yard Gotta do the #GoodGuyStuff #PatriotsAwakened #WWG1WGA.”

Majewski later altered his infamous Trump lawn sign to read “Trump 2Q2Q,” according to a since-deleted post on the social media website Parler.

Majewski also tweeted more insular references to QAnon, suggesting a greater familiarity with the conspiracy theory beyond hashtags. In August 2020, he noted on Twitter that Trump had answered 17 questions at a news conference, a significant number in QAnon lore as “Q” is the 17th letter in the alphabet.

In another tweet, Majewski defended QAnon followers for their “never ending” and “unwavering” support of Trump.

“Everyone has a part to play. Regardless of what you perceive to be of #Qanon [sic] Their support for @potus is never ending and unwavering. That in itself gives credence and it is what has gained them accolades. I am hopeful that you would redact this and take a different perspective,” wrote Majewski in November 2020, two days after the election.

In one tweet, he speculated that “everything was real” from the anonymous Q poster but that its followers have become the real Q.

By February 2021, however, Majewski distanced himself from the QAnon conspiracy theory in a now-deleted tweet. “You need friends. I’m not a Q but. Pay attention and you’d see that. # cancelculture is your MO,” Majewski replied to a Twitter user.

The-CNN-Wire
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