ROME, Ga.—Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) won the Republican U.S. House primary in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District on May 24.
With 67 percent of the precincts reporting at 9:39 p.m., Greene received more than 69 percent of the vote and was projected as the winner by Decision Desk HQ.
Greene will face Democrat Marcus Flowers in the general election. Flowers, who raised more than $8 million, won the Democratic primary with more than 74 percent of the vote.
A political lightning rod, Greene was a relatively unknown in her northern Georgia district until she left the business world for a successful House of Representatives bid.
Early in her freshman term, Greene encountered what was deemed at the time as a setback when House Democrats—and 11 Republicans-voted to remove her from committee assignments because of her “outrageous beliefs” and controversial social media posts.
An outspoken defender for former president Donald Trump and his “America First” platform, Greene twice introduced articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden.
She emerged as a vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and was heavily fined for not wearing a mask on the House floor.
This year, Greene has voted against almost every Ukraine-related bill in Congress since Russia launched its invasion.
Greene has also drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike because she asked for a roll call on a series of bills. Many bills are generally passed either through voice vote or unanimous consent, which Greene says does not always reflect an accurate tally, nor does it give voters a true sense of who voted for what.
“The American people deserve to know where their member of Congress stands with a roll call vote,” Greene said. “While thousands of illegal aliens are invading Biden’s open border, American kids are losing their education with closed schools. Thousands of small businesses have been forced to shut down. The people really don’t care about politicians whining about voting and doing their job for 10 hours.”
On behalf of five voters in the 14th District, a national election and campaign finance reform group called Free Speech for People attempted to have Greene banned from running for re-election in April.
The group alleged that Greene had a significant role in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol breech. They argued that her actions violated a part of the 14th Amendment regarding insurrection, which makes her ineligible to seek another term.
In early May, Georgia Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot decided that Greene was eligible to remain on the ballot, ruling that the voters didn’t provide sufficient evidence to support their claims.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accepted Beaudrot’s findings and announced that Greene could seek re-election.
Greene said she encouraged a rally to support Trump, but she explained that she was unaware of plans to storm the Capitol. She added that she feared for her own safety during the incident and wrote social media posts urging people to remain calm and be safe.
Strahan Emerges as Main Challenger
Jennifer Strahan, who owns a healthcare advisory company, was considered Greene’s most serious challenger, but Greene’s campaign account was stockpiled with $9 million while Strahan’s pulled in around $400,000.
A first-time candidate, Strahan describes herself as a wife, a mother, a business owner, and a Christian. She earned a doctorate in healthcare leadership and founded an advisory firm that helps healthcare businesses significantly reduce wasteful spending.
Strahan received backing from the Republican Jewish Coalition PAC; PACs representing UPS, International Paper, and other businesses; and some Congressional members.
“We undoubtedly must have a comprehensive view and we must push back on the progressive agenda we are seeing in Washington,” Strahan told The Epoch Times. “However, when you don’t have relationships with colleagues you can’t do that.
“That hurts our district, our communities, and our citizens when we don’t have an effective voice representing us,” Strahan added. “You don’t have to sacrifice effectiveness for conservative values.”
Greene’s supporters disagree. At a rally for Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue last week, Bikers for Trump founder and rally organizer Chris Cox invited Greene to the stage after saying, “Like Donald Trump, she tells it like it is. You don’t have to read her mind.”
Throughout her re-election bid, Greene has encountered abundant backlash by detractors who believe her style is too brash.
“The mainstream media, the far left, and establishment Republicans are excited because they think that ‘maybe we can get rid of her,” Greene said about the May 24 primary and the November general election.
“I say the things that people care about and say at home,” Greene added. “I criticize Democrats a lot, but I also criticize my own party because I blame Republicans and Democrats both for where we are, and so do most people.”
On paper, unseating Greene in the general election looks impossible, several Democrats admit. Yet Flowers, a U.S. Army veteran who wears a cowboy hat, raised more than $8 million. After winning the Democratic primary, he is gearing up for pulling off an upset in a district usually dominated by Republicans.
Georgia’s 14th Congressional District is abundantly conservative. According to Georgiavotes.com, it is 70 percent Republican.
Spanning from a part of northwest Georgia that stretches from metro Atlanta to the state line at Chattanooga, Tennessee, the district still heavily favors Republicans, even after boundaries were slightly shifted in 2021.
Redistricting gave the 14th District part of Cobb County, which President Joe Biden won by 14 points in 2020. As a whole, the district voted for Trump by 48 percentage points. Greene won by 31 points–more than 13,000 votes–in 2020.
From The Epoch Times
