https://www.euronews.com/2023/06/20/racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government
In response to a request for comment, the Finns Party tells Euronews Halla-aho "is one of the most esteemed politicians in Finland."
However, Party Secretary Arto Luukkanen says "your information concerning Finnish politics is not apt and does not correspond to realities of life. To rely on biased sources is a typical 'rookies-mistake' (sic), both in journalism and in historiography (sic)" he added.
Before Halla-aho, Tony Halme was a also major factor in the party's popularity. They went all in on having a celebrity candidate (pro wrestler who was briefly in the WWF as Ludvig Borga, failed boxer and MMA fighter, appeared on the Finnish version of American Gladiators, really he was way more famous in Finland than you'd expect) and Finns just couldn't get enough of this guy who said racist and ”hur hur, feminists and modern art amirite?” shit in the media. As almost always happens with celebrity candidates in liberal democracies, it was very successful at raising the profile of the Finns Party in the 2003 elections.
Halme originally wanted to run as part of some even more right-wing party that was basically a bunch of fascists, and also had an SS tattoo.
The difference is that Halme was a joke and a complete embarrassment between his meathead persona, Exit Only tattooed above his ass and continual drug escapades, and the Finns party was seen as something for dumbdumbs and yokels
Halla-aho made it so that educated middle class guys could support the party without fear of being laughed at or dying of cringe themselves
IIRC before he actually became a politician his followers were debating if he should join the Finns or start his own party because they were afraid of the Finns party association