There was a time not so very long ago when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was the darling of the MAGA wing of the GOP, perhaps second only to Donald Trump himself when it came to the love the far right had for her and her frequently bizarre antics and pronouncements.
Now, however, as she aligns herself with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — including a vote last week in favor of legislation raising the debt ceiling — Greene is being targeted and may well wind up being primaried as she seeks reelection in 2024, according to a fascinating piece from The Daily Beast’s Zachary Petrizzo and Ursula Perano, who note that the Georgia Republican has suddenly become persona non grata among some of the MAGA faithful.
In the past week, former Trump administration official-turned-podcaster Steve Bannon led the charge, calling for Greene to be primaried by a more right-wing candidate who is “REAL MAGA.”
A fringe set of far-right allies soon followed.
“I 100 percent support a challenge to MTG, and look forward to meeting and helping a serious challenge to her,” Stew Peters told The Daily Beast.
One figure of the far right, activist and former Florida congressional candidate Laura Loomer, told The Daily Beast she’s already exploring a primary against Greene. As of now, Loomer doesn’t live in Georgia—let alone Greene’s district—but that hasn’t stopped her from wishcasting.
It turns out that Greene knows she’s on the outs with the MAGA morons who compose much of the GOP base, but based on a text message she sent to former BFF Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), she doesn’t seem to care, though that could certainly change if she sees her House seat slipping away come 2024.
“I have almost the same identical voting record as Thomas Massie, the most fiscally conservative member of Congress. And I voted with him on this bill,” Greene wrote in the lengthy text, referring to the debt limit deal. “And Bannon, who was senior counsel to Trump in the WH and responsible for the first debt ceiling increase bc Bannon is reckless and no where near fiscally responsible, is now telling everyone I should be primaried.”
“I just had a town hall in Cobb County last night in the most populated area in my district and it was extremely successful. Standing ovation when I went in and standing ovation when I left,” Greene continued.
Could Greene actually wind up losing in 2024? Perhaps, especially if she continues to vote against (or in the case of the debt limit legislation, what she votes for) what the most extreme members of her constituency are opposed to, she might just be vulnerable in a primary battle, especially if the GOP winds up nominating Trump again, which would put the congresswoman in a difficult bind: Pledge loyalty to Donnie or remain tethered to McCarthy and House Republican leadership.
Then again, there have been suggestions that Trump might choose Greene as his running mate, but her sudden coalition with McCarthy could make that little more than a pipe dream on her part.
One thing is certain: The American political scene would be greatly improved if Marjorie Taylor Greene is kicked to the curb.