1. For the 2nd election in a row, Trump won a precinct in LA with some infamous residents.

See that small chunk of red in a sea of blue? Trump won that precinct by 10 points.

Over half the registered voters in this precinct list Scientology owned buildings as their address.

2. To illustrate how unusual this victory was for Trump, the precincts surrounding the one that Trump won all have Biden winning by 55-74 points. We're talking about a difference of 2 blocks.

This precinct contains one of the largest Scientology buildings in Southern California.

3. So why would Scientologists vote for Trump over Biden. It's not a simple answer but here's a basic explanation. Of course, I checked in with my pal @MikeRinder to make sure I had things right...

4. Scientology is a tax-exempt religion (even though they are in reality a criminal cult masquerading as a religion).

As a result, Scientology as an org has always felt that the Christian right's fight for religious freedom benefits them.

5. @MikeRinder pointed out to me that Scientology's absolute opposition to psychiatry makes any government funding of mental health care an absolute anathema to them. So you certainly won't see Scientologists supporting Medicare For All.

6. @MikeRinder also pointed out something critical about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's worldview that's a big part of this. It's important to note that in Scientology Hubbard's words are not open to flexibility or interpretation. They are law.

(cont)

7. Hubbard was firmly against the idea of "big government" and "welfare." This means those who are not "pulling their weight" should not be rewarded. That certainly leads many Scientologists towards the Republican party.

8. And of course it's not lost on me that as a result of its tax-exempt status, Scientology has been able to amass billions of dollars in real estate.

Hubbard wanted people to pull their weight, but he certainly didn't want his criminal cult to pull its own weight.