Despite officially pulling out of Georgia's Republican U.S. Senate primary this week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) may still seek a higher office next year — and some Republicans believe President Donald Trump may feel the need to intervene.
Semafor reported Friday that Greene may throw her hat in the ring in next year's gubernatorial race in the Peach State, as current Republican Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and will have to leave office at the end of next year. One unnamed Republican strategist told the outlet that this "could create a challenging situation for Trump," given that he was apparently involved in making sure she didn't follow through on her talk of running for Senate.
“All the polling shows I blow out a primary for governor or Senate,” Greene said after abandoning her Senate plans. “I think it’s smart for me to consider that, having so much support in the state of Georgia.”
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While Greene's MAGA bonafides are likely sufficient to win a Republican primary, that could also be her undoing in a general election – particularly in a purple state like Georgia, which in 2021 elected two Democratic U.S. senators for the first time in decades. A different Republican operative told Semafor that they "still think [Greene] would have significant liabilities in the general election" in Georgia.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio commissioned the poll showing that Greene would lose a hypothetical 2026 general election matchup against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) by 18 points. And before Greene announced she wasn't running for Senate, Gov. Kemp was reportedly planning to meet with Trump at the White House to discuss who to unite behind in order to make sure Greene wouldn't advance to the general election.
Greene is apparently not worried about whether Trump ultimately endorses her, should she run for governor next year.
“I don’t make my decisions that way,” the far-right Georgia Republican told Semafor. “I didn’t have the president’s endorsement the first time I ran, and I beat eight men in the primary and a neurosurgeon in the runoff.”
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Click here to read Semafor's report in full.