Democrat House Members Break With Party over False DCCC Ads Alleging All Republicans Are QAnon

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) attacks against House Republicans for their alleged support for the QAnon conspiracy theory have received backlash from some Democrats themselves.

The DCCC launched over a half-million-dollar television and digital ad campaign accusing Republicans of standing “with Q and now with you.”

The ads targeted many swing district Republicans, such as Reps. Mike Garcia (R-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Contrary to the ads’ messaging, 146 House Republicans voted in favor last October of a resolution condemning QAnon. This would suggest that the QAnon conspiracy theory is not in the mainstream of the Republican Party.

Now, multiple Democrats are concerned about the potential backlash the ad campaign might have, worrying the attacks stray away from “fact.”

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) told Politico, “I want to see the Democrats and DCCC hold ourselves to a higher standard relative to truth, relative to fact and relative to principle. And should we forget the consequences of misinformation, then we become culpable.”

Fitzpatrick even cosponsored an ad last year that condemned QAnon.

“Brian is a friend of mine. He’s a man of principle, a man of decency and the furthest from QAnon supporter,” Phillips said.

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) said, “It’s totally fair to say House Republicans stood with QAnon after the majority of them voted with a QAnon-inspired mob against certifying the election. I have zero sympathy for groups like NRCC complaining about this ad, given how they’ve used the actual QAnon messaging in their own ads.”

“But Congressman Fitzpatrick was one of just three Republicans who stuck his neck out to sponsor my resolution condemning QAnon last year,” the New Jersey Democrat said.

“It really made me uncomfortable when I saw that ad,” a third Democrat said. “This idea that we can we should just contribute to an atmosphere where facts are just not even relevant — I don’t want to be the party that does that.”