Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Legacy and Who Will Replace Her

There are few who enter the political arena that rise to great prominence as a figure synonymous with a nationwide movement such as Marjorie Taylor Greene. The conservative firebrand who has represented Northwest Georgia since 2021 gained national attention before even walking the halls of Congress. Her unfiltered, unapologetic views gained her favor from President Trump and the MAGA movement. While these same views often worked against her in the House, it is also true that she gained her own following because of it. People are sick of politics as usual and Marjorie Taylor Greene stands as the antithesis to such. Not once has she proven to be afraid to speak her mind, be authentic, and use social media as the vessel to connect with the people. This seems to be a large factor in the political turmoil that has spread across the 14th District. At 12:00 PM today, January 5th, Marjorie Taylor Greene officially resigned from her seat in Congress after a dispute with the President.

Beginning in the 2020 election cycle, Greene made waves by firing a gun at explosive targets with various labels such as gun control, open borders, and socialism. She maintained a hard-hitting message throughout the campaign as she traveled the district in a humvee. It was Greene’s outspoken views and business outsider approach that separated her from the eight primary opponents. Many felt that she addressed issues that other politicians would not. One that has risen to prominence in the past two months has been her promise to hold both Republicans and Democrats in Washington DC accountable. I personally remember Greene discussing this stance at a campaign bus stop in 2020.

Despite being stripped of committee assignments in 2021, Marjorie Taylor Greene notably forced roll call votes in the House. By requesting a roll call vote, Greene ensured that all members of the House would have to vote on record for given pieces of legislation. Her committee assignments were reinstated in 2023 after Republicans gained a majority following the midterms. Before leaving Congress, Greene served on six committees and subcommittees. Under the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, she served as the Chairwoman of the D.O.G.E subcommittee. She also served on the House Committee on Homeland Security and House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. She has two notable pieces of legislation that have passed the House. The first was the “Gulf of America Act” which would rename the Gulf of Mexico in alignment with President Trump’s executive order. The second was the “Protect Children’s Health Act” which makes gender affirming care to minors a federal crime. Neither bill has passed through the Senate. Other significant legislation that she did not author, but cosponsored and helped pass, would include the “Laken Riley Act” and “Epstein Files Transparency Act”.

In November, Greene joined three Republicans (Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, and Thomas Massie) and the House Democrats to sign the Epstein Files Discharge Petition. President Trump, who reportedly called Rep. Boebert to sway her from signing the petition, wrote a scathing post about Greene on Truth Social. Greene responded on X posting, “I believe in transparency. That’s why I’ve pushed to release the Epstein files. Survivors deserve the truth, and I won’t apologize for standing with them.” Following the falling out with the President, she reported extreme death threats toward her and her family. This led Greene to post a resignation letter and video on November 21st where she stated that she has been “despised in Washington DC and never fit in.” She continued to say that she will no longer take the abuse and slander. “If I am cast aside by MAGA Inc and replaced by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Military Industrial War Complex, foreign leaders, and the elite donor class that can’t even relate to real Americans, then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well.”

Now that she has resigned, the fight to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene is on. As of writing this on January 5th, there are twenty Republicans, one Democrat, and one Independent running in the special election. Governor Kemp must set a date for the special election. However, a date has not yet been set.

 

The Republican candidates are:

Star Black: FEMA veteran and former CEO and business owner. (Star Black)

Reagan Box: Professional horse trainer. (Reagan Box)

Beau Brown: Business risk manager. (Beau Brown)

James “Marty” Brown: Firefighter and small business owner. (James “Marty” Brown)

Elvis Casely: Former salesman and actor. (Elvis Casely)

Michael Corbin: Businessman. (Michael Corbin)

Benjamin Cope: Entrepreneur and business owner. (Ben Cope)

Jared Craig: Attorney and business owner. (Jared Craig)

Jeff Criswell: Former entrepreneur and teacher. (Jeff Criswell)

Clayton Fuller: Lookout Mountain Circuit District Attorney. (Clay Fuller)

Tom Gray: Cobb County pastor. (Website not available)

Christian Hurd: Career in Marine Corps intelligence. (Christian Hurd)

Nicky Lama: Business owner and Dalton City Councilman. (Nicky Lama)

Colton Moore: State senator and auctioneer. (Colton Moore)

Linvel Risner: Government services consultant. (Website not available)

Brian Stover: Businessman and former Paulding County commissioner. (Brian Stover)

Meg Strickland: Community activist. (Meg Strickland)

Jim Tully: Former GA-14 GOP Chair and congressional staffer. (Jim Tully)

Jenna Turnipseed: Veteran and farmer. (Jenna Turnipseed)

Jacqueline Wilmer: Healthcare worker. (Jacqueline Wilmer)

The Democrat candidate is Shawn Harris, a retired Brigadier General and farmer (Shawn Harris)

 

The Independent candidate is Rob Ruszkowski, an activist and business owner (Rob Ruszkowski).