3 takeaways from major primary races in Minnesota and Georgia

In Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a GOP candidate with ties to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory and a track record of upcoming rhetoric, won a primary runoff. That result puts Greene well positioned to win a congressional seat in the fall and puts national Republicans in the awkward position of how to respond and whether and to what extent they will support a conspiracy theory-touting nominee who has also made comments with Islamophobic and anti-Semitic tropics.

Omar defeated a well-funded Democratic challenger in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday.

The congresswoman had opposed attacks from challenger Antone Melton-Meaux that she was divided and too focused on building a national profile, but that she eventually dominated in the race.

Democratic reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, also members of the “Squad”, had to deal with similar attacks in the primary races of their own, but managed to counter these challenges earlier this year.

Melton-Meaux, a lawyer who practices mediation and is a first-time candidate for elected office, did not have as much of a national profile as the challengers running against Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib, but he still had a substantial amount of money. He had raised more than $ 4.1 million on July 22, according to the Federal Election Commission, while Omar had raised about $ 4.3 million on the same date.

Omar’s outspoken support for progressive priorities has given her a devoted following on the political left. At the same time, her rhetoric related to Israel has made her a target of criticism from Republicans as some members of her own party. California Second Chamber member Nancy Pelosi and other members of the House Democratic leadership once went as far as asking Omar in public to apologize for comments they said were “anti-Semitic tropes.”

Omar apologized after her incursion of the Democratic leaders of the House and has tried to limit the damage and win over skeptics.

When they fought to keep their seat, Omar had the support of Pelosi, who endorsed her bid for reelection. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, along with other progressive leaders and organizations led by Justice Democrats, also advised Omar ahead of the primary.

GOP candidate who embraces QAnon conspiracy theory wins Georgia runoff

A Republican primary runoff for the 14th Congress District of Georgia, located in the northwest corner of the state, attracted national attention as a result of Greene’s promotion of the wild and unsupported conspiracy theory known as QAnon.

Greene reiterated and promoted QAnon theories and phrases, praising the mythical Q as a “patriot” in a 2017 video, describing the collusion theory as “something worth listening to and paying attention to.”

While the theory is unbelievable enough to invite all sorts of interpretations from its supporters, QAnon claims at its core that Trump has secretly fought to bring down a cabal of satan-worshiping pedophiles who destroy all levels of the American government and other elite institutions has infiltrated.

Despite that, Greene heard on Tuesday in a primary runoff against GOP opponent John Cowan, raising the question of what national Republicans will do in response.

The seat for Georgia’s 14th Congress District is currently held by Republican Rep. Tom Graves, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2010 and announced last year that he would not seek reelection.

Republicans elect a nominee for the Trumpiest District represented by a Democrat

In Minnesota, Republican voters have chosen their candidate in a campaign to win a House seat, with CNN predicting that Michelle Fischbach will primarily win Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District GOP.

The district is currently represented by House Agriculture President Collin Peterson, a Democrat. Peterson District voted for Trump by a larger margin than any other represented by a Democrat, making him the most vulnerable Democrat by 2020.

The Republican primary on Tuesday was a five-way game, with former Minnesota Gt Fischbach and retired Air Force Dave Hughes among the most high-profile candidates.

Fischbach won the GOP distinction for the district during a convention for virtual parties in May, while Hughes ran against Peterson in 2016 and in 2018 when he won nearly 48% of the vote to Peterson’s 52%.