Posted on 08/11/2020 3:18:41 AM PDT by RandFan
Georgia House candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene is coming under renewed scrutiny for her past racist rhetoric and embrace of conspiracy theories as she heads into Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff.
Greene, who faces neurosurgeon John Cowan in the 14th Congressional District, has made a number of bigoted remarks, such as calling African Americans “slaves to the Democratic Party.” She has also embraced conspiracy theories like those put forth by QAnon.
If Greene wins on Tuesday and in November, she would be the first open QAnon supporter elected to Congress.
And while House GOP leaders have condemned videos showing Greene making racist and Islamophobic remarks, most of the party’s leadership have stayed neutral in a runoff whose winner is almost certain to win in November. Several nonpartisan political forecasters rate the seat as “solid or safe Republican.”
Greene has shored up significant support in the district, winning 40.3 percent of the vote in the June primary compared to Cowan’s 21 percent.
A recent poll from Cowan’s campaign showed a much tighter race heading into the runoff, with the two candidates tied at 38 percent in late July.
But strategists say Cowan should be way ahead given the controversy surrounding Greene.
“If she ends up winning, it’s more of a reflection of John Cowan’s bad campaign than it is of her being a much better candidate,” said a Georgia-based Republican strategist. “I don’t know how he could not have put her away already.”
“He’s a doctor,” the strategist said. “Don’t underestimate being a doctor in a pandemic -- that’s a big deal. And the fact is, he was only able to generate 20 percent of the vote.”
Greene came under intense scrutiny in June after Politico unearthed a trove of videos in which she compared Democratic megadonor George Soros to a Nazi and said the 2018 midterms were like an “Islamic invasion of our government,” among other inflammatory statements.
Republican lawmakers were quick to condemn her comments, which surfaced after the primary. Among them was Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.), who played a role in getting Greene to run for the seat.
"I find Marjorie Taylor Greene's statements appalling and deeply troubling, and I can no longer support her candidacy in Georgia's 14th Congressional District,” Hice said in a June 18 statement on Facebook.
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) also condemned Greene’s remarks, calling them “disgusting.” He is backing Cowan’s bid.
Cowan also took aim at Greene’s comments, saying a runoff victory could threaten other GOP candidates in the state.
“I want to protect the Republican Party. She is the antithesis of the Republican Party. And she is not conservative, she’s crazy,” Cowan told Politico. “She deserves a YouTube channel, not a seat in Congress. She’s a circus act.”
However, some strategists argue the controversy surrounding Greene’s comments are more of a focus in Washington circles than they are on the ground in Georgia.
“I think the national media is going to play this up as there’s just a bunch of racism there,” said the GOP strategist. “I think it’s more ‘we’re not going to have these elite people tell us what to do.’ I don’t think it’s as much about Marjorie Greene as it is about the national environment.”
Greene did not walk back her remarks during an interview with ABC’s Chattanooga affiliate late last month. Instead, she took the opportunity to critciize “radical Islam” and Sharia law.
“This isn’t something that is a radical to say, this is how most Americans feel. So when I have these conversations with voters everyday, they agree with me 100 percent and they are thankful that I am saying them because people are tired, really tired of political correctness and government,” Greene said.
She also addressed her past comments in support of QAnon, emphasizing her belief there is a “deep state” within the U.S. government.
“I’m just like millions of people here in our country and then millions of people around the world that are very much concerned about a deep state in our government, and it’s something you hear talked about everyday,” Greene said. “I mean, people talk about it from Rush Limbaugh to Sean Hannity. You hear even commentators from the left talking about corruption in our government.”
Despite the negative national media attention, Greene has managed to stay competitive with Cowan on the fundraising front, thanks in part to a loan she made to herself.
Greene had brought in $1.59 million as of July 22, including a $900,000 loan. She had spent $1.44 million and had roughly $143,500 in the bank.
Cowan, meanwhile, brought in $1.2 million during the same period, including a $200,000 loan to himself. He spent $960,000, and has around $237,000 cash on hand.
Turnout is expected to play a key factor on Tuesday, testing Greene and Cowan’s operations.
“You have to remember, it’s a run-off, so it’s just turnout,” the GOP strategist said. “It’s not like it’s a general election where everybody’s voting, so it’s a very small number of people that are going to decide this thing.”
If you ask me I think she is very brave...
Joe Biden says if you don't vote for him, you ain't black. And she's the bigot?
I’m sick of the media throwing these labels around.
Greene came under intense scrutiny in June after Politico unearthed a trove of videos in which she compared Democratic megadonor George Soros to a Nazi and said the 2018 midterms were like an “Islamic invasion of our government,” among other inflammatory statements.
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And Republicans are using these comments “against” her?
She is speaking truth to power. I thought that was supposed to be a good thing.
It is not racist to say “blacks are slaves to the Democratic Party.” It is in fact racist to claim it is racist to say “blacks are slaves to the Democratic Party.” It is also a pathetic attempt to silence truth tellers.
The Rhinos are scared ordinary folks are trying to take back control of their party. I hope she wins.
The Hill
Not bigotry, just truth. . .she doesn’t speak based on prediction of results. . .she says it because it’s right! They hate it because, ultimately, they hate us.
It's okay for democrats to continue treating blacks like they are still their slaves. It's not okay to call out democrats for that or for anything else.
Who is tjis unnamed Georgia strategist?
True, though I prefer the term "pawns".
Some deep state operative.
I’m voting for the Q supporter just to stir the pudding.
“”I find Marjorie Taylor Greene’s statements appalling and deeply troubling, and I can no longer support her candidacy in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District,” Hice said in a June 18 statement on Facebook.
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) also condemned Greene’s remarks, calling them “disgusting.” He is backing Cowan’s bid”.
If these are true statements and I believe they are then it is plain to see what is wrong with the Republican Congress. Reps Hice and Scalise and I’m sure there are many more are just plain afraid of the truth. Maybe they should retire and let strong willed people take up the fight.
Sick of pansy Republicans.
What in this article has she said that is factually incorrect ?
I’ll be voting for her today. I was for the other guy until the big stink in the news about how she was spouting CONSPIRACY THEORIES and other non-approved statements.
But Trump and the Russians stole the 2016 election, the local media tells me, you can take it to the bank.
In other words she’s great.
“What in this article has she said that is factually incorrect ?”
She scares the crap out of the media, and for good reason. Calling blacks ‘slaves’ to the Democrat Party, is, of course, correct, given their voting patterns, and given how they’ve been treated over the decades by those Democrats. Even Joe Biden basically said the same last week, multiple times, when he said there was no diversity among blacks, but there is diversity among Hispanics. They’re trying to trigger off the use of the word “Slave”, which is a cheap shot, since that term is commonly used in lots of places.
But let’s real, Georgia is a PURPLE STATE and the media sees bashing her as a way to whip up the black vote against Trump, which is all they care about at this point.
Thanks only to Democrat run Atlanta.
Rhinos? What does the “h” stand for?
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