U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent public comments on the federal government shutdown have underscored her independence from Republican leadership and President Donald Trump, but her most ardent voters are remaining loyal — and she’s winning over skeptics.
Across her district in northwest Georgia, constituents — most of whom identify as conservatives — reiterated their support for the three-term congresswoman as the federal government remains shut down. In recent weeks, Greene stood with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, demanding the public release of files surrounding investigations into his illegal activity. Before the apparent peace deal brokered between Israel and Hamas, she called the war in Gaza a “genocide.”
And last week, she blasted her own party leadership over expiring health care insurance subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, a piece of legislation known as Obamacare that Republicans have long sought to eliminate.
On some issues, like health care, she’s largely reflecting back the concerns of residents in her district. On others, she planted a flag to bring people over to her side. In most cases, she’s managed to maintain her popularity. Where there is daylight between her and voters, they have given her latitude to move as she sees fit.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
“I love her. I love how outspoken she is. She represents the heart of her people, not just her branch of government,” said Rhonda Smith, 54, from the small town of Lyerly northwest of Rome.
Health care access in North Georgia
Greene has been popular in the region since she arrived on the scene, coming in first among eight male candidates in the 2020 Republican primary and winning the Congressional district with about 75% of the vote. In 2024, she was unopposed in a primary and won 64% of the general election vote, after the district map slightly changed.
The south end of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District includes the affluent Atlanta suburbs Acworth and Kennesaw. But the rest of the districts traces north toward Cedartown, Rome, Chickamauga and Dalton and includes areas that are more rural and less wealthy.
“The people right here at home are hanging on by a thread. Washington is full of multimillionaires who don’t even feel the pain of inflation. They don’t know what it’s like to choose between paying for medicine or groceries, but the people in Walker County do,” said Jackie Harling, chair of the Walker County GOP.
Most of the 74,000 people in her district who rely on the ACA for their health insurance received tax credits to lower their monthly premium to make it more affordable, according to the advocacy group Keep Americans Covered.
“I’m not willing to allow millions of Americans, people I personally know, constituents in my district, I’m not willing to allow their premiums to double and triple overnight starting in January of 2026,” Greene said in a recent interview on the podcast of conservative-leaning comedian Tim Dillon.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
As she headed to her shift at a barbecue restaurant in Rome, Amber Todd, 55, shared her own challenges with health care. She has had cancer four times but has struggled to maintain consistent coverage.
“I made too much to qualify for Medicaid but couldn’t afford the ACA,” she said, referring to the coverage gap in Georgia. Now, she has health insurance but “it’s a chunk of my income,” she said. “Because of my history though, I have to have it.”
It’s difficult to find time to take off work to go to the doctor, and even co-pays can add up.
“It’s a vicious cycle, and I have no clue how to break it,” said Todd, a Greene supporter who lives in Aragon southwest of Cartersville.
Greene is speaking to a problem Republicans need to address, said state Rep. Kasey Carpenter, a Republican who represents Dalton in the General Assembly.
“If Republicans don’t have a plan of their own, and they’re just saying, ‘no, no, no,’ that’s a losing proposition for the party,” he said. “It’s much harder to say, ‘Hey, this is a solution.’ So I definitely applaud her.”
Splits on Israel, Epstein
During the 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump repeatedly said in interviews, if elected, he would have “no problem” declassifying the Epstein files. Since taking office, Trump has reversed course, saying “nobody cares” about the files and has stalled its release.
Greene is holding him accountable for his campaign promise.
“This is not even an argument. It’s not even debatable,” she said, in the podcast interview. “It’s not being a traitor to the president to sign my name on a … discharge petition to release the Epstein files. I’m staying true to what we’ve always said. There needs to be transparency.”
Her voters agree.
“One hundred percent, release the files,” said Stephanie Duke, 35. “All pedophiles should have exposure.”
Duke is mother to a 6-year-old child and said she regularly checks the sex offender list registry in her area. If Trump, who Duke supports, was listed in the files, “that would be a tough pill to swallow, but I would want to know.”
Greene has also repeatedly echoed Trump’s campaign language by saying she believes in putting America first. She’s slammed the amount of money the U.S. has sent to Ukraine and Israel, saying the federal government needs to focus on providing for its own citizens above involvement in foreign wars.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
“She’s taking care of us instead of the big people in Washington, and she realizes the problems we have by being so loyal to Israel,” said Barry Duvall, 61, who lives in Rome.
Most voters interviewed considered themselves observant Christians who support the Jewish state and value the ally in the Middle East. They felt uncomfortable criticizing the Israeli government and saw its military actions as largely justifiable. But several also thought some strikes had gone too far and worried about the devastation Palestinians have faced.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘genocide,’ but at the end of the day, everybody deserves to live and not be wiped out,” Duvall said.
Breaking new ground
Not everyone agrees with all of Greene’s comments, and many still felt she could be outlandish at times. But over the recent weeks, she’s also managed to win over former opponents and even intrigue some who voted against her in prior elections.
In 2022, Angela Pence ran as a Libertarian challenger to Greene, although she dropped out before the election.
“One of the biggest things when I ran against her two cycles ago is that people didn’t feel represented by her because of the wild things that she was saying and doing,” she said. “That has been a 180-degree change. Most of the people I talk to feel that she’s doing a good job. I don’t disagree.”
What’s changed, Pence said, is that people she sees in her community are beginning to suffer.
“All the things up in the air with health care, people are starting to be hurt by the impact of the decisions of this administration,” she said. “If the Republican Party is smart, then people like (Greene) are the future of the party.”
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Kalli Maddox, a nurse, and Bre Lieberman, a chiropractor — both 25 — said they didn’t vote for Greene last year and were surprised to see her shifts, especially on health care access.
As far as whether they would be open to supporting her in the future, that depends.
“Actions are better than words. It’s all very new, but I respect her,” Maddox said.
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