DALTON, Ga. (AP) — President Donald Trump says Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a traitor. But for Jackie Harling, who leads the local Republican Party in the northwest corner of Greene, Georgia, she is still “mama bear.”
“Any thought we had in mind, she seemed to be very good at verbalizing,” Harling said.
Saying things no one else will say may be Greene’s most lasting legacy as she steps down on Monday, stepping down in the middle of her third term in Congress. First, it was her embrace of conspiracy theories and incendiary rhetoric, which turned her into a national symbol of a political culture without guardrails. Then it was her willingness to criticize Trump, a schism that made her position in Washington untenable.
In interviews in Greene’s district, constituents repeatedly described her as a “fighter.” For Republicans like Harling, that was enough.
“We got a lot of satisfaction,” Harling said. “It was our voice.”
It was less satisfying for independents like Heath Patterson, who struggled to think of ways that Greene’s fame and notoriety made a difference to her district during her time in the US Capitol.
“I don’t know anything she did here except, certainly, she heard her voice. But where did we benefit from that?” he said. “I don’t think we did.”
From MAGA warrior to exile
Greene began clashing with Trump last year, criticizing his focus on foreign policy and his reluctance to release documents involving the Jeffrey Epstein case. The president eventually had enough, and said he would support a primary challenge against her. Greene announced a week later that she would resign.
She has withheld criticism ever since, including over Trump’s decision to strike Venezuela this weekend.
“This is what many at MAGA thought they voted to end,” Greene wrote on social media on Saturday. “Boy were we wrong.”
The split was surprising because, up until that point, Greene’s trajectory had mirrored Trump’s own rise to power. She did not become politically involved until his 2016 presidential campaign and first ran for Congress in 2020. Greene considered trying to represent Georgia’s 6th congressional district, which includes the suburbs of Atlanta, before relocating to the 14th, where the Republican incumbent was retiring.
She remained loyal to Trump after he lost to President Joe Biden, promoting his falsehoods about a stolen election. When Trump ran again in 2024, she toured the country with him and spoke at his rallies wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
Her Georgia district is one of the most Republican in the state, though it wasn’t always that way. The region once supported Democrats like Zell Miller, a governor and US senator who ran the Georgia lottery program that still funds college scholarships and early childhood education programs.
But residents felt left behind by years of change, said Jan Pourquoi, a Belgian native who immigrated in 1987, became a US citizen and later won local office in Whitfield County.
His county’s population has grown roughly 32% since 1990, which pales in comparison to statewide growth of 74%. As the United States becomes more urban, secular and diverse, Pourquoi said residents believe they are “culturally oppressed.”
“They see themselves as great Americans, proud Americans, Christian Americans, and this no longer matches the American model as they see it,” said Pourquoi, who said he left the Republican Party because of Trump. Greene exemplified the political reaction, which in short is “stick to them – any possible way you can.”
Georgia’s leaders, like those in many other states, have spent years drawing congressional districts to bring together like-minded voters. This means that in red areas, whoever wins the Republican primary is virtually guaranteed to come out on top in the general election, incentivizing candidates like Greene with tougher views.
The political landscape means that former Republicans like Pourquoi or independents like Patterson say they have no chance of helping a centrist win.
“I’m kind of square in the middle,” Patterson said, adding that sometimes he feels like he’s “the only one around here that’s like that.”
Republicans plan their way forward
Whitfield County Republicans gathered at a local restaurant last month for their annual Christmas party, where seasonal decorations and a visit from Santa Claus mingled with red, white and blue regalia and some MAGA paraphernalia.
There was still deep affection for Greene and much talk about the cultural issues she championed.
“I think it’s just the fact that she was firmly in ‘America First,'” said Gavin Swafford, who worked on Greene’s initial campaign.
Swafford called her an “accountable representative” because of her clashes with Republican leaders.
Lisa Adams, a party volunteer, called Greene “our stand-up person.”
“Look at her stance on transgenderism. That’s a big one,” she said. “Abortion. That’s a big one.”
None of Greene’s inconsistencies — real or perceived — were a problem, they said.
For example, Greene praised Korean-owned solar panel factories in the district even after voting against Biden-era policies designed to boost production. She broke with Republicans, Trump included, and sided with Democrats who wanted to extend premium subsidies for health insurance customers of the Affordable Care Act.
None of the Republicans at the Christmas party expressed an interest in taking sides between Trump and Greene.
“I think it’s inevitable when you have two firebrands that are both tough,” Swafford said.
Asked if the district missed having a more traditional legislator, the kind who can cut bipartisan deals and bring home as much federal money as possible, Swafford was unconcerned.
“Marjorie’s biggest contribution wasn’t even in legislation,” he said.
Still, there was also a sense among some that Greene, for all her no-nonsense politics, might have gone too far.
Star Black, a Republican running to replace Greene, was already planning a primary challenge before announcing her resignation.
“You had a great representative who was a fighter. Well, you know what? I want to take another step,” said Black.
“You don’t just need a fighter,” Black said, “you need someone who will listen. You need someone who will represent you.”