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Right-winger Allen West has suspended in-person events for his Texas gubernatorial campaign because he developed COVID symptoms after his wife tested positive.
In a Saturday morning Twitter thread, the Trump-loving ex-congressman said he has not gotten the COVID vaccine but is “already taking Hydrochloroquine and Ivermectin protocols”—two unproven drugs popular with the anti-vaxxer crowd.
“After taking COVID and flu shots, Angela West tested positive for COVID yesterday, Friday,” the tweet said.
“Col. West is experiencing a low grade fever and light body aches. Out of concern for public health, Col. West is suspending in-person events until receiving an all-clear indication.”
The account added: “West has publicly stated he supports individual choice and this is reflected in his own family.”
On Thursday night, West spoke to a packed indoor crowd at a yacht club outside of Houston, without a mask in sight.
West protested outside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s mansion against COVID restrictions last year and then announced this summer that he was running for his seat.
He abruptly quit as chairman of the Texas GOP in June after just a year—a tenure marked by his adoption of a slogan that mirrors QAnon language (though he claimed there was no connection).
West is well-known for outrageous statements—from a Facebook post about “exterminating” Muslims to his suggestion that Texas secede over the election of Joe Biden.
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