QAnon-Supporting Candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene Wins Congress Seat
Topline
Republican candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene won her House race in Georgia on Tuesday, the Associated Press projects, giving Congress its first member who has openly supported the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.
Georgia Republican House candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene has been the cause of controversy recently … [+]
Dustin Chambers/Getty Images
Key Facts
Greene has openly touted the QAnon conspiracy theory multiple times, once calling “Q”—the so-called leader of the movement—a “patriot.”
Greene has also been criticized for hours of old videos uncovered by Politico in June, in which she expressed racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic sentiments.
Greene essentially ran unopposed: her opponent, Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal, dropped out of the race in September after he was forced to vacate the house he shared with his wife as part of divorce proceedings.
Georgia’s secretary of state refused to disqualify Van Ausdal from the race, citing Georgia law, leaving Democrats without a replacement candidate. (Van Ausdal’s name will still be listed on the ballot, even though he has dropped out.)
Greene will represent Georgia’s 14th congressional district, a district in northwest portion of the state.
Crucial Quote
Trump has wholeheartedly embraced Greene: He endorsed her in the primary and general election, invited her to to be a guest at the GOP convention, and called her a “future Republican star.”
Key Background
Greene is one of several candidates running for office this year who has openly touted the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Surprising Fact
In September, Greene posted a photoshopped graphic of herself brandishing a gun while standing next to the three progressive members of Congress known as “The Squad”—Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)—Forbes first reported. After Forbes published its story, Facebook removed the photo for violating its policies.
What To Watch For
How Greene is accepted within the Republican Party establishment. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has said he would “welcome” Greene in the House, even as he denounced QAnon himself.
Further Reading
Trump-Backed Candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene Promotes 9/11 Conspiracy Theory (Forbes)
The 31 Day Campaign Against QAnon (Washington Post)
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Forbes can be found here ***
