MAGA Would Go Wild: Here Comes ‘Senator’ Marjorie Taylor Greene? 

Key Points: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s decision not to challenge Senator Jon Ossoff in 2026 opens the door for other Republicans, notably Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

-A prominent firebrand conservative, Greene recently criticized the Trump administration from the right, claiming to represent the unhappy party base.

-While considering a Senate run, her history of extremism and embracing conspiracy theories raises significant electability concerns in the swing state, drawing comparisons to failed Trump-backed candidates like Herschel Walker.

-Early polling indicates Ossoff holds a substantial lead over Greene, suggesting a potentially weak general election candidacy for the GOP if she emerges.

Marjorie Taylor Greene for Senate?

Georgia is one of the nation’s most competitive swing states, and in 2026, it’s expected to have a competitive U.S. Senate race, with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff running for a second term.

The Republicans in the state had been hoping to get Gov. Brian Kemp to run for the seat, but he announced last week that he would not be doing so, setting off a scramble of other Republicans who could make the race. And the most prominent name that’s been mentioned in that vein is none other than Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA.)

A firebrand conservative who has been one of Congress’s loudest voices since she first ran for Congress and won in 2020, from a conservative district in Northwest Georgia.

Greene has been more willing than most Republicans to traffic in conspiracy theories and political extremism, including advocacy for the QAnon conspiracy before her election to Congress.

And while Greene is seen as a loyalist of Donald Trump, she has also occasionally criticized the administration and Republican Party from the right.

“I Represent the Base”

Greene sent a long social media post earlier this week, in which she stated “I represent the base and when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy.”

What followed was a long list of grievances, most of them arguing that some of the signature controversial actions of the second Trump Administration — whether its crusade against trans people, its targeting of political enemies, the DOGE attack on government agencies, and worries about “election integrity” — haven’t gone far enough.

The message also attacked the Trump Administration for its Ukraine minerals deal, for its threat of war with Iran, and for not removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the market.

“When you are losing MTG, you are losing the base,” Greene concluded. “And Trump isn’t on the ballot in the future, so do the math on that.”

Worries About Greene

This week, the Washington Post looked at the question of Greene’s possible Senate run. Greene has not said that she’s running, but has said she would consider it, especially if Kemp opted out of running. She has also talked about possibly running for governor. Running for either would likely be risking for Greene, as running would mean giving up running again for her House seat.

“Kemp’s decision both deprives the GOP of its strongest-possible nominee and could tee things up for probably its weakest-possible nominee,” the analysis, by Aaron Blake, said.

Blake compared Greene to other Republicans who have run statewide in swing states, often picked either because they won primaries or because they were endorsed by Trump. This happened in 2022, right in Georgia, when Trump-backed candidate Herschel Walker was the GOP candidate for the other U.S. Senate seat. Plagued by a long list of scandals, involving everything from an inflated resume to past abortions that he had paid for, Walker, a former NFL star, ended up losing to Sen. Raphael Warnock.

As noted by Blake, other weak Republican candidates like Mark Robinson, Doug Mastriano, Kari Lake, Blake Masters have lost races in key states in recent years. And Greene’s history of extremism could consign her to a similar fate.

“Greene’s history of conspiracy theories — on 9/11, school shootings and QAnon, among other topics — and extreme statements and actions — things like appearing at a conference featuring white nationalists — have clearly marginalized her. It shows up in both the polls and her own election results,” the Post analysis said.

Can Marjorie Taylor Greene Win?

It remains very early, and neither Greene nor any other Republican candidate has even declared.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a poll of potential candidates, before the news that Kemp wasn’t running. It showed that while Kemp and Ossoff were within the margin of error in a potential matchup, that’s not the case with Greene.

“The difference between first- place candidate Ossoff’s estimated vote share and Greene’s estimated vote share, at 16.9, is statistically significant. In plain English, Ossoff leads Greene in this hypothetical head-to-head matchup,” the poll said.

About the Author:

Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter