Marjorie Greene, the QAnon-supporting Republican nominee for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, is now running unopposed this November.
Her opponent, Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal, dropped out on Friday citing life changes taking him out of the state.
A message from Kevin Van Ausdal pic.twitter.com/Y5LtVcpK2B
— Kevin Van Ausdal (D) (@KevinVanAusdal) September 11, 2020
The Van Ausdal campaign did not immediately respond to TPM’s questions.
In a response to his post, Van Ausdal said that his team “believes” there’s still time for someone else to take his place.
In Georgia’s deep red 14th district, Ausdal was a significant underdog who positioned himself as a voice of reason next to Greene’s headline-grabbing sensationalism.
Greene garnered national attention over the campaign with her unapologetic interest in the dark themes of the QAnon conspiracy theory — like a Satan-worshipping cabal secretly pulling the levels of power in this country — and racist and anti-semitic beliefs as recorded in videos on her social media pages.
Since winning her primary, she’s done little to soften her tone. She called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a “bitch” during her celebration speech, and kicked reporters out of the event.
President Donald Trump, for his part, has welcomed his soon-to-be-newest ally with open arms. He called her a “rising star” on Twitter, and invited her to his acceptance speech during the Republican National Convention where he used the White House as a backdrop.
Other Republicans — notably outgoing Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) — have been more willing to push back against Greene, who some fear could be a Steve King-like albatross slung around the party’s neck. But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has vacillated between silence and assertions that he has a good relationship with Greene. He has denounced QAnon in general.
And for most in the party, Trump’s warmth and McCarthy’s compliance have set the tone.
“life changes?” or “death threats?”
Part of me wants the Democrats to refuse to seat her in January. Which they can do.
Another part wants her to be a millstone around the necks of the Republicans.
An inanimate object would be a “voice of reason” next to Greene.
(“Dining Room Table in 2020!”)
Do we miss Michelle Bachmann yet?
Or did her opponent mysteriously disappear…leaving behind the likeness of a “Q” in the dust on his kitchen table?!