Two strong supporters of President Donald Trump — both of whom share his plain-speaking style and populist brand of conservatism — handily won runoff elections for the Republican nomination for Congress in Georgia.
In the 9th District, located in northeastern Georgia, which GOP Rep. Doug Collins is leaving to run for the U.S. Senate, gun dealer and U.S. Navy veteran Andrew Clyde rolled up 56% of the vote, defeating state Rep. Matt Gurtler.
Along with being a vigorous Second Amendment advocate — “I think I know the Second Amendment inside and out,” he has said — the owner of Clyde Armory is well-known among anti-tax activists and libertarians for his work to limit the IRS’s power to seize assets.
For his part, Gurtler was conservative on most issues and, in fact, often broke with the GOP establishment in the legislature. But Clyde’s “outsider” credentials were clearly gilt-edged.
A similar outcome occurred in the 14th District, which Republican Rep. Tom Graves is leaving. Marjorie Taylor Greene, executive of a family-owned construction business, clobbered physician John Cowan with 59% of the vote.
Vowing to be “the best ally Donald Trump will have in Congress,” Greene campaigned on a hardline pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-border wall platform.
At one point, a video resurfaced in which the candidate spoke of “an Islamic invasion” in the U.S. and claimed that Blacks and Hispanics are “held back by gangs and dealing drugs.” This led to widespread charges of “racism” and “Islamophobia” against Greene. House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana endorsed Cowan and Georgia Rep. Jody Hice rescinded his endorsement of Greene.
In news that made the BBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Greene also voiced support for the “deep state” conspiracy known as QAnon — something Trump has also tweeted about.
Upon winning, a triumphant Greene simply said, "So the Republican establishment was against me. The D.C. swamp has been against me. And the lying fake news media hates my guts. Yep, it's a badge of honor."
“It is my opinion that very little can be extrapolated from congressional primaries these days,” Matt Towery, retired nationally syndicated columnist and pollster, told Newsmax. “But, in general, there has been a trend towards Republican voters in states such as Georgia to choose candidates more aligned with characteristics and policies they perceive to be associated with President Trump. There will be an attempt by some media outlets to impute some of these candidates with non-traditional views, such as the controversial QAnon dialogue, to the president. That, of course is nonsense.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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