QAnon Supporter Marjorie Greene Wins GOP Seat in Georgia

ATLANTA, KOMPAS.com - A supporter of the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, won the Republican nomination in Georgia.

Marjorie is a businesswoman who faced criticism for a series of racist comments but managed to secure the nomination for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.

Several GOP officials in the deep-red district of northwest Georgia had denounced her campaign after videos surfaced of Marjorie Taylor Greene expressing racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-Muslim views.

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She beat out contender John Cowan, a neurosurgeon, in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday.

“WE WON! Thank you for your support! Save America. Stop Socialism,” Greene tweeted late Tuesday.

A video posted to her Twitter account of her victory party showed a room full of supporters gathered closely together. Few, if any, wore face masks to protect against the coronavirus.

In a victory speech posted to social media, Greene said she decided to enter politics because the country is heading in the wrong direction.

“So the Republican establishment was against me. The DC swamp has been against me. And the lying fake news media hates my guts,” she said. “Yep, it’s a badge of honor.”

She has amassed tens of thousands of followers on social media, where she often posts videos of herself speaking directly to the camera.

Those videos have helped propel her popularity with her base, while also drawing strong condemnation from some future would-be colleagues in Congress.

In a series of videos unearthed just after Greene placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, she complains of an “Islamic invasion” into government offices, claims Black and Hispanic men are held back by “gangs and dealing drugs”, and pushes an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, collaborated with the Nazis.

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Several high-profile Republicans then spoke out against her.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana quickly threw his support behind Cowan, while Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia rescinded an endorsement of Greene.