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U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel faces off against far-right activist Laura Loomer in 21st Congressional District race

Loomer seeks to become youngest woman elected to Congress
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A race with national attention is Florida's 21st Congressional District, which includes Palm Beach County.

On the ballot are polar opposites -- a young radical conservative Republican against an old-school veteran Democrat.

WPTV sat down with both candidates to get their thoughts in the final sprint to Election Day.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Elections 2020

Laura Loomer has become known as a controversial candidate.

She gained national attention for her in-your-face style interviews as a conservative investigative journalist.

The 27-year-old Loomer is now trying to make history as the youngest woman elected to Congress.

"I have millions of supporters around the world who are sitting on the edge of their seats to see if the most banned censored woman in the world is going to get elected," Loomer said.

She has called herself a "proud Islamaphobe," and her anti-Muslim comments resulted in her being banned from most social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

However, Loomer claims there's no such thing as hate speech.

"I think that people need to realize we have free speech in this country, and if something offends you get over it. As long as you're not inciting violence, you should be able to post what you want on social media," Loomer said.

After winning the primary, Loomer gained the support of President Trump.

The far-right activist said she is leading a grassroots campaign, fighting for free speech and equal human rights for everyone. She said she is confident she will flip the seat and beat incumbent U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel.

"I offer mature judgment, sound judgment, proven experience and optimism to move this country out of a very dark place," Frankel said.

Frankel said she is focused on protecting Medicare and Social Security for seniors, providing affordable quality health care. For the past eight months, she's been concentrating on COVID-19 and finding relief for her constituents.

"We want to get people back to work. We want to get our children back to school. We want to have a normal life, but we must do it safely," Frankel said.

Loomer tells us she does not deny COVID-19 is a real threat but believes mask mandates are unconstitutional and restrictions on businesses need to be lifted.

"We are a free and open society, and we cannot shut that down. It's un-American," Loomer said.

However, Frankel said she believes in science.

"If 95% of Americans would wear a mask, we would save 180,000 lives by the end of February," Frankel said.

In a comfortably Democratic district, both candidates said they will represent all voters, but the campaign has turned negative.

"I asked Lois Frankel to debate me, and she refused to debate me, and that's anti-American. The voters deserve better," Loomer said.

"I'll be very candid. I didn't want to raise her platform. I don't even like to talk about her because she spews such darkness and hate," Frankel said.

It is a sharp contrast between the women, but both are confident and fighting until the end of the campaign to represent the 21 Congressional District in Washington, D.C.