Most will lose. But a few, Mrs. Greene especially among them, have managed to win. Overwhelmingly speaking on Tuesday night, she said she was “just as full of what I saw of spinless Republicans” as she was with Democrats.
“The Republican establishment was against me,” Mrs. Greene said. ‘The DC swamp is against me. And the lying fake news media hate my gut. It’s a badge of honor. It’s not about me winning. This is a referendum on each of us, on our faith. ”
During his campaign, Mr. Cowan had adopted a slogan that echoed the predicate that Mrs. Greene set for Republicans: “All conservatives, no embarrassment.”
“She’s not conservative – she’s crazy,” Mr Cowan told Politico before the runoff. ‘She deserves a YouTube channel, not a seat in Congress. She’s a circus act. ”
Mr. Cowan was not alone in his assessment of Mrs. Greene, who runs a construction business with her husband. They deserve a rebellion from Republican congress leaders this year after Facebook videos made them offensive about Black people, Jews and Muslims. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House’s minority whip, published a campaign for Mr. Cowan and helped him raise money.
The Republican Party, however, was hardly uniform in its opposition to Mrs Greene’s candidacy. The leadership remained officially neutral, and Mr. Trump’s only remark about the race came in the form of a congratulatory tweet after her strong performance in the first round of primary in June, when she almost got the total voice of Mr. Trump. Cowan doubled.
Ms. Greene raised thousands of dollars from Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a high-profile Republican lawmaker and a favorite of the president, and a political action committee he associates with, the House Freedom Fund. She also secured modest donations from four figures of political action committees affiliated with Mark Meadows, a former North Carolina representative who is now Mr. Trump is, and Koch Industries, a Republican financial chief.
