QAnon supporter singled out for racism wins Georgia Republican primary | US Elections 2020


Marjorie Taylor Greene, an enterprising woman who has expressed racist views and support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia’s 14th Congress District.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red neighborhood in northwest Georgia, despite several Republican officials announcing their campaign after videos surfaced showing them racist, anti-Semitic and expressing anti-Muslim views.

She has gathered tens of thousands of followers on social media, where she often posts videos of herself talking directly to the camera. Those videos have helped support her popularity with her base, while also drawing strong condemnation from some future colleagues in Congress.

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

Several high-profile Republicans then spoke out against her. The House’s minority whip, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, quickly threw his support behind Cowan, while Georgia’s representative Jody Hice dismissed a Greene distinction.

Greene treated criticism of her comments on Twitter. “The Fake News Media, the DC Swamp, and its radical left-wing allies see me as a very serious threat. I will not let them sweep me into submission, ‘she said, without distancing herself from her earlier remarks.

Greene is also part of a growing list of candidates who have expressed support for QAnon, the far-right American conspiracy theory popular with some supporters of Donald Trump. She is considered one of the QAnon fans with the best chance of winning in November.

She has positioned herself as a dumb Trump supporter and emphasizes a strong pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion message. She has also connected with voters through an intensive effort to travel the neighborhood and meet people on the ground.

Larry Silker, a 72-year-old retiree, cast a ballot for Greene at an early polling station in Dallas, Georgia last week.

‘She seems to be a go-getter, you know. She looks like everyone knows she can, and I like that, ”said Silker.

Asked if he had seen criticism of Greene’s comments, Silker said: ‘Well, you know, you see it. But do you put faith into it? You just have to be more discriminating with the help you render toward other people. ”

The district stretches from the edge of the Atlanta subway to the for the most part rural northwest corner of the state. Greene will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November. Republican Rep. Tom Graves, who did not seek re-election, won the seat in 2018 with more than 76% of the vote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report