Running on the Boring Flank Against Marjorie Taylor Greene

Marjorie Taylor Greene, freshman congresswoman from Georgia, occupies a unique position in Republican politics. Outside the Capitol, she’s arguably one of the nation’s most prominent Republicans: a rabid ally of former president Donald Trump, a star of the right-wing media circuit, a figure whose endorsement has been sought nationwide by aspiring politicos trying to burnish their own MAGA-mania bona fides. Inside the building, meanwhile, there’s arguably not a single representative with less actual power: She sits on no committees, and her history of conspiracy theories, promotion of violence, and bizarre antics around the House have left her without legislative allies beyond her fellow rabble-rousers in the House Freedom Caucus.

It’s the former element—her right-wing notoriety—that’s led many to assume Greene will cruise to reelection this year in Georgia’s 14th District, which remains heavily Republican despite recent redistricting. But the latter element may end up causing her trouble in her primary—where another Republican, Jennifer Strahan, is mounting a surprisingly strong challenge.

It’s the first foray into politics for Strahan, a Cobb County resident who since 2017 has run a health care consulting business that contracts with hospitals and health systems. She launched her congressional bid last September, earning some attention in conservative media. But her campaign really entered the spotlight last month after Greene spoke at a conference helmed by white nationalist livestreamer Nick Fuentes in Florida. The move earned swift denunciations from a chorus of elected Republicans and figures in conservative media, many of whom put forward Strahan’s name as the likeliest candidate to upset her; Erick Erickson, the prominent Georgia-based conservative radio host, dubbed her “Marjorie with a brain.”

Strahan herself denounced Greene’s appearance at the conference in a statement: “Aligning herself with the statements made by Mr. Fuentes and his organization is incredibly sad, but not surprising. Rep. Greene has continually shown us this is who she is and what she stands for. … Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and its constituents are not represented by her.”