'Red flags' show Marjorie Taylor Greene 'vulnerable' to a major November upset: expert
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) got some encouraging news in her re-election campaign after gaining support in her Georgia primary election — but the amount of money she spent getting it puts her in serious risk to a challenge, an expert warned Wednesday.
The right-wing Republican ran unopposed in Tuesday's primary and received 56,892 votes and, while turnout is typically lower in one-candidate races, Greene picked up support in Chatooga, Cobb and Walker counties, where she got 3,847 more votes than she did in 2022 when she had several challengers, reported Newsweek.
"Uncontested primaries are usually very low-turnout affairs, as are primaries for the 'other' party in a highly partisan district," said Carl Cavalli, a political science professor at the University of North Georgia. "However, if there is a much larger turnout in the Democratic primary, and if the winner does significantly outpace Greene's vote in the Republican primary, it could raise enough questions about Greene's strength to give Democrats some hope."
Democrats won't likely invest many resources in November's race because Greene's is a deep-red district , according to expects.
"This is an uncontested primary in the middle of May while the rest of the world is burning," T.J. McCormack, a Republican strategist and commentator. "The only people paying attention to Greene's numbers will be any Republicans who decided not to mount a challenge."
"Given Greene's recent bizarre behavior, " McCormack added, "this might have been an opportunity to steal a win."
ALSO READ: Federal Election Commission kills anonymous donor proposal
Clarence Blalock and Shawn Harris will face off in a runoff for the Democratic nomination for the 14th congressional district, where Greene defeated her last Democratic challenger, Marcus Flowers, by about 32 points, but experts say the Republican lawmaker's campaign finance reports show some "red flags" in her "unusual" spending.
"Her high spending rate, or 'burn rate,' could allow a Democratic opponent to defeat her in November's general election," said Denny Salas, a political strategist and senior vice president at Gotham Government Relations.
"While raising $5 million is impressive, blowing through most of it already is concerning. So, while not having any Republican opponents made her primary easy, her massive campaign spending suggests she may be vulnerable if Democrats find a well-funded candidate to run against her."