J.R. Majewski, a controversial pro-Trump activist whose campaign for Congress imploded spectacularly in 2022, was all set to make another run for office — but now he is pulling the plug, reported The Daily Beast.
“'Unfortunately, I have to bow out of the race for OH09 due to my mother's health,' tweeted Majewski, revealing that his father died during the last election cycle and that his family was his first priority," reported Matt Young. "'But don’t fret, I love this country too much to stay idle. God Bless all of you,' he added."
Majewski, a QAnon-promoting Air Force veteran who once appeared in a rap video titled "Let's Go Brandon Save America," and who painted his entire lawn into a 19,000-square-foot Trump logo visible from the air, previously challenged Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), who represents Toledo and is the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress.
His 2022 campaign was derailed after reporters discovered that he lied about his military service.
Majewski previously claimed to be a "combat veteran" deployed by the Air Force to special operations in Afghanistan. However, records indicated he actually loaded cargo for planes at a U.S. base in Qatar. Majewski has insisted he did not lie, and has claimed his actual mission was "classified" — but other veterans have said that this is extremely dubious, as most deployment information is declassified after the mission is completed.
Majewski was further humiliated by a subsequent report that he also lied about the reason he was demoted from Airman First Class; he initially said he was punished for getting into a fight in an Air Force dormitory in 2001, but records show he was actually punished for drunk driving on a U.S. air base in Japan. The GOP national campaign arm, which until that point had Kaptur as a top-priority target, pulled funding from him after the scandal emerged.
Majewski also violated a federal financial disclosure law by initially refusing to make public details about his personal finances, as revealed by Insider.
With Majewski eliminated from the race, the most likely Republican challenger to Kaptur is now state Rep. Craig Riedel, who also ran in 2022 and came in second in the primary.
