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Racist, QAnon Conspiracy Theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene Wins Georgia GOP Primary

Trump supporters displaying QAnon posters appeared at President Donald J. Trumps Make America Great Again rally Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at the Florida State Fair Grounds in Tampa Florida. (Photo by Thomas O'Neill/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Racist, QAnon Conspiracy Theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene Wins Georgia GOP Primary

Marjorie Taylor Greene's views "have no place on the ballot or in Congress," said DCCC chairwoman Cheri Bustos.

Republican businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a supporter of the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and who has been criticized for a series of racist comments, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Tom Graves Tuesday in the deep-red district in northwest Georgia. Green won despite several GOP officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expresses racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-Muslim views, the Associated Press reported.

Geene's runoff win all but guarantees her a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, given the deep conservative leaning of the district. Democratic challenger Kevin Van Ausdal acknowledged the uphill battle he faces heading in to November, but appealed to supporters to help elevate his campaign against the QAnon supporter.

"We need donors to help get out the message and show people that there is an alternative, and a great alternative, to QAnon conspiracies and divisive rhetoric," he told the Associated Press Tuesday.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairwoman Cheri Bustos issued a statement following Greene's win, calling out House Republican leadership for not taking a stand:

Marjorie Tyalor Greene is a next-generation Steve King who is now the Republican nominee for Congress because Minority Leader McCarthy refused to meaningfully oppose her racist candidacy. Enabled and embraced by Georgia Republicans like Karen Handel and Rich McCormick, her views have no place on the ballot or in Congress. Georgia Republicans, and Republican candidates running across the country, will have to answer for her hateful views in their own campaigns.

The conspiracy theory Greene supports, according to WBUR, is a "far-right conspiracy theory and loosely organized network centered around the belief that the U.S. is controlled by a cabal of child sex trafficking, Democratic elites hell-bent on bringing down President Trump."

According to a report by Media Matters, "multiple adherents to the conspiracy theory have been tied to acts of violence, including multiple murders and attempted kidnappings, and an FBI field office released a memo in May 2019 that listed QAnon as a potential domestic terrorism threat."

The Jewish progressive advocacy group Bend the Arc condemned Greene's victory as well as other Republicans celebrating the win despite her history of racist comments and fringe views:

Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican, donated $2,000 to Greene's campaign in April, according to the New York Times, and a political action committee associated with Jordan also contributed to her run.

Trump has embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory, and has tweeted his support for candidates, including Greene, and many close to the president, including Eric Trump and former national security advisor Michael Flynn have also expressed support.

Media Matters has compiled a record of current or former congressional candidates who have embraced QAnon. That report is available here.

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