Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene reacted to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday that President Donald Trump attempted to convince her not to enter Georgia’s U.S. Senate race after his team commissioned a poll that found her trailing by double digits.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Thursday night for comment.
Why It Matters
After his decisive presidential win, Trump has backed numerous Republican candidates in other elections across the country.
Greene, a staunch Trump ally, won her election in November in the critical swing state that the president also won.
Rumors have swirled about Greene’s political future as people have speculated on social media if she will run for Senate in an attempt to flip Democratic incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff’s seat. The other Senate seat in the Peach State is held by Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Republicans hold a slim majority in both the House and Senate and are eager to pick up more seats in midterm elections, with Trump’s help.
What To Know
In an exclusive to the Journal, Trump’s team commissioned a poll that showed her losing the Senate race and the president then relayed the results to her in an attempt to discourage her from running, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Journal reports that the poll was conducted by longtime Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio and showed her losing to Ossoff by 18 points, even after winning the potential primary.
The poll reportedly found her as a less competitive candidate against Ossoff compared to Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp or Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
Earlier this month, Kemp said he would not join the senatorial race: “I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family.”
Kemp continued, adding, “I spoke with President Trump and Senate leadership earlier today and expressed my commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November, and ultimately be a conservative voice in the US Senate who will put hardworking Georgians first.”
Reacting to the Journal’s report, Greene posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “I have never spoken with President Trump about running for Senate or any other race. But for some reason, some consultants and aids [sic] are leaking to the usual tools in the media in order to promote the narrative they want to tell about me.”
Greene continued, “I have always supported President Trump for FREE and actually spent hundreds of thousands of dollars campaigning with him all across the country!! You would think these people would be embracing me because I’ve fought the hardest for him, but the problem is they are not on my payroll. Most people don’t read the WSJ, but millions read X so here is my full quote below. 👇”
Greene’s full quote was posted by Wall Street Journal reporter Olivia Beavers on X, where she added, in part: “I decided I want nothing to do with the Senate because it’s completely under uniparty control and not for the American people.”
“To my knowledge, a lot of this was private conversation, and apparently is being leaked. The poll was done by Tony Fabrizio, who has refused to work for me because he says he has a conflict, which means he’s working for someone against me,” the Georgia firebrand lawmaker said.
Greene went on to rip the poll, saying it surveyed 800 people in Georgia: “Pick any 800 people in Georgia, and you can make a poll say anything you want.”
In a recent poll by the Trafalgar Group taken from April 24 to April 27 among 1,426 likely general and Republican primary voters, Greene received 36.5 percent of the vote compared to Ossoff’s 48.3 percent.
Georgia Republican Representative Mike Collins received 42.8 percent compared to Ossoff’s 47.5 percent. The poll asked the respondents’ preference if Kemp did not run.
When questioned who the likely GOP voters would pick in a primary race, Greene won with 42.7 percent, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger received 22 percent and Collins gained 15 percent. The question required the respondents to pick from the choices, which also included Georgia Republican Representatives Buddy Carter and Rich McCormick, along with Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King.
The poll had a margin of error of 2.9 percent.
What People Are Saying
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, in the Journal: “You need someone who’s more appealing. I think she’d be a solid primary contender, but the state’s a lot like North Carolina, could be a challenge at the statewide level.”
Greene, reacting to Tillis in her full statement posted by Beavers on X: “Nobody cares about Tillis because he represents everything wrong in the Senate, and he has his own problems in North Carolina.”
What Happens Next
Greene said in the statement posted on X that she will make a decision on potential races based off “where I can be most effective and what is good for me and my family.”