Having watched Trump at the top, with right wing media all in, created this strange, perverse "why not me too" alternate reality where misfits, criminals, charlatans and grifters suddenly saw an opening for power and glory for their ilk. They flocked to Washington for strange jobs and appointments in the administration, and they felt empowered to run for office, at any level, sometimes simply as a perceived shield against prosecutions. It actually kinda worked so far.