Marjorie Taylor Greene rules out U.S. Senate bid in Georgia

She added in a knock to other GOP contenders: “Start trying to raise money off one of these other generic Republicans, though I expect your donations will drop.”

The Rome Republican floated a potential bid for months, saying that she’s encouraged by polls that showed her in strong position to win a contentious GOP primary thanks to her fiercely loyal MAGA following and sky-high name recognition.

But many party leaders feared her scorched-earth style and history of promoting conspiracy theories could cost the party a winnable race in November and weigh down other GOP contenders on next year’s ballot. On Friday, their relief was palpable.

“She is already looking towards 2028 and trying to be a kingmaker,” said Jay Morgan, a former Georgia GOP executive director. “Her loyalty is to no one except herself.”

Her decision followed intense discussions in Atlanta and Washington over ways to dissuade her from running or coalesce around an alternative. Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s trying to “line up” with Trump to reach a consensus that could spare the party of a bruising nomination fight.

But that prospect seems dim. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter entered the race on Thursday, becoming the first prominent Republican to launch a campaign, and other candidates are courting Trump‘s support and preparing their own bids.

Greene, meanwhile, notably didn’t rule out a bid for governor to succeed term-limited Kemp. In her lengthy post, she said the Senate is dominated by establishment figures too willing to compromise their values.

“If I‘m going to fight for a team,” she said, “it will only be a team willing to lay it all on the line to save this country.”

‘Senator MTG?’

Once so obscure that even many grassroots Republicans hadn’t heard of her, Greene is now known across the nation by just three letters: MTG.

The former fitness studio owner made her political debut in 2020 when she mounted a short-lived bid for a suburban Atlanta seat before switching to a safely Republican district in northwest Georgia after a veteran GOP incumbent retired.

She won that race despite intense scrutiny of her history of hateful and conspiratorial remarks. Since then, she’s become one of the most divisive figures in Congress, fueled by a shock-and-awe approach that has made her a favorite of Trump.

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

That persona had some Democrats eager for her to jump in. Ossoff has openly goaded her, questioning whether she has the “guts to do it.” And the latest AJC poll showed him with a 17-point edge over Greene in a one-on-one matchup.

Democratic fundraising operations had already kicked into high gear, flooding inboxes with blaring appeals that read: “Senator Marjorie Taylor Greene??”

“Marjorie Taylor Greene has declined to run for the Senate,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Friday. “Why? Because she would be crushed by Senator Ossoff.”

While Democrats were eager to capitalize on Greene’s candidacy, Republican leaders were just as determined to prevent it — hoping to avoid a repeat of the last two Senate campaigns in Georgia.

Ossoff and Democrat Raphael Warnock benefited from GOP turmoil in their twin runoff victories against incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in 2021. Then in 2022, former football star Herschel Walker cruised through the primary only to repel swing voters in a November loss to Warnock.

This cycle, Kemp‘s allies have voiced particularly sharp concerns that Greene could splinter the coalition of moderates and conservatives that powered the governor’s back-to-back victories over Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Cole Muzio of the conservative Frontline Policy Council said Republicans should stick with what’s worked: “The Kemp model and Kemp record remain the path to victory.”

“It’s up to us to end Ossoff’s career by nominating someone who can keep the focus on his failed record rather than allowing their own controversies to be front and center.”

Even so, Greene also had many supporters who urged her to run. Matt Stout, a field operative who worked for Greene and other GOP candidates over two decades, called her the fiercest Trump loyalist in the U.S. House.

“And she’s the type of candidate who could activate Trump supporters who might otherwise sit out midterm elections.”

And before Friday, Greene made clear she sees a path to victory, comparing the skepticism she faced to the doubts Trump overcame in 2016 and 2024.

“I have options,” she said. “There’s a lot of people saying I can run for Senate, I can run for governor and I can also keep representing Georgia’s beautiful 14th District.”