Marjorie Taylor Greene made waves. Her constituents don't agree on
whether it was worth it
[January 05, 2026]
By BILL BARROW and EMILIE MEGNIEN
DALTON, Ga. (AP) — President Donald Trump says Rep. Marjorie Taylor
Greene is a traitor. But for Jackie Harling, who chairs the local
Republican Party in Greene’s northwestern corner of Georgia, she’s still
“mama bear.”
“Every thought that we had in our minds, she seemed to be very good at
verbalizing,” Harling said.
Saying things that no one else would say may be Greene’s most durable
legacy as she steps down on Monday, resigning halfway through her third
term in Congress. First, it was her embrace of conspiracy theories and
incendiary rhetoric, turning 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 described her over and
over as a “fighter.” For Republicans like Harling, that was enough.
“We got a lot of satisfaction,” Harling said. “She was our voice.”
It was less satisfying for an independent like Heath Patterson, who
struggled to think of ways that Greene's fame and notoriety made a
difference for her district during her time in the U.S. Capitol.
“I don’t know of anything that she did do here except, certainly, got
her voice heard. But where did we, how 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, saying he
would support a primary challenge against her. Greene announced a week
later that she would resign.
She has kept up the criticism since then, including over Trump's
decision to strike Venezuela this weekend.
“This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of
that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big
corporations, the banks and the oil executives,” she told NBC’s “Meet
the Press” on Sunday.
The split was surprising because, until that point, Greene’s trajectory
had mirrored Trump’s own rise to power. She didn’t become politically
involved until his presidential campaign in 2016 and first ran for
Congress in 2020. Greene considered trying to represent Georgia’s 6th
Congressional District, which includes the Atlanta suburbs, before
relocating to the 14th District, where the Republican incumbent was
retiring.
She remained loyal to Trump after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden,
promoting Trump's falsehoods about a stolen election. When Trump ran
again in 2024, she toured the country with him and spoke at his rallies
while wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat.
Her Georgia district is one of the most Republican-leaning in the state,
although it wasn’t always that way. The region once backed Democrats
like Zell Miller, a governor and U.S. senator who spearheaded Georgia’s
lottery program that still bankrolls college scholarships and early
childhood education programs.
But residents have felt left behind by years of change, said Jan
Pourquoi, a Belgian native who emigrated in 1987, became a U.S. citizen
and later won local office in Whitfield County.
His county’s population has grown by roughly by 32% since 1990, which
pales in comparison with statewide growth of 74%. As the U.S. becomes
more urban, secular, and diverse, Pourquoi said residents believe
they’re “culturally oppressed.”
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“They see themselves as great Americans, proud Americans, Christian
Americans, and that doesn’t fit the American model anymore as they
see it,” said Pourquoi, who said he left the Republican Party
because of Trump. Greene exemplified the political backlash, which
he summarized as “stick it to them — any possible way you can.”
Georgia leaders, like those in many other states, have spent years
drawing congressional districts to pack like-minded voters together.
That means 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 more hard-line views.
The political landscape means former Republicans suc as Pourquoi or
independents like Patterson say they have no shot at helping a
centrist win.
“I’m kind of square in the middle,” said Patterson, adding that it
sometimes feels like he’s “the only one around here who’s that way.”
Republicans plan their path forward
Whitfield County Republicans gathered at a local restaurant last
month for their annual Christmas party, where seasonal decor and a
visit from Santa Claus were intermingled with the red, white and
blue regalia and a smattering of MAGA paraphernalia.
There was still deep affection for Greene and plenty of talk about
the cultural issues she championed.
“I think it’s just the fact that she was unwavering in ‘America
First,’” said Gavin Swafford, who worked on Greene’s initial
campaign.
Swafford called her “an accountability 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 has praised the Korean-owned solar panel
factories in the district even after voting against Biden-era
policies intended to boost production. She broke with Republicans,
Trump included, and sided with Democrats who wanted to extend
premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance
customers.
None of the Republicans at the Christmas party expressed any
interest in taking sides between Trump and Greene.
“I think it’s inevitable when you have two firebrands that are both
stubborn,” Swafford said.
Asked whether the district missed having a more traditional
lawmaker, the kind who might cut bipartisan deals and bring as much
federal money as possible back home, Swafford was unconcerned.
“The biggest thing that Marjorie contributed wasn’t even in
legislation," he said.
Still, there was also a sense among some that Greene, for all her
bareknuckle politics, could have gone further.
Star Black, a Republican who is running to replace Greene, was
already planning a primary challenge before she announced her
resignation.
“You had a great representative who was a fighter. Well, you know
what? I want to take it one step further,” Black said.
“Not only do you need a fighter,” Black said, “you need someone who
is going to listen. You need someone who is going to represent you.”
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