Marjorie Taylor Greene Wins Georgia 14th District GOP Primary

Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the media at a watch party in Rome, Georgia, after winning the District 14 GOP primary on May 24, 2022. Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times

ROME, Ga.—Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene 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 won the Democratic primary with more than 74 percent of the vote.

“This is a referendum on the Washington establishment and the media. They have attacked me and lied about me over and over. They have consistently tried to mislead people in my district and across the country about who I am,” Greene told a crowd of supporters shortly after winning.

“Winning by such a large margin shows that the people here don’t believe the lies and the negative messaging, and it shows people see that I am standing up for the values that are important to them, and to all of us as Americans.”

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 Greene’s freshman term, 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 of 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 doesn’t 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, the national election and campaign finance reform group Free Speech for People attempted to have Greene banned from running for reelection 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 reelection.

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 health care 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, mother, business owner, and Christian. She earned a doctorate in health care leadership and founded an advisory firm that helps health care businesses significantly reduce wasteful spending.

Strahan received backing from the Republican Jewish Coalition PAC, congressional members, and PACs representing UPS, International Paper, and other businesses.

“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. 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 reelection bid, Greene has encountered backlash from 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. 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, has 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’s 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.