Trump's break with big MAGA star could 'hand a Democrat the seat': Georgia GOP leader

The chair of a major Republican Party committee in Georgia is sounding the alarm that President Donald Trump’s messy break with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) may end up handing her seat to a Democratic candidate, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

Once one of the president’s most loyal and vocal supporters, Greene has grown increasingly critical of Trump in recent months, having openly criticized his administration’s approach on health care, its reluctance to release files on Jeffrey Epstein, and it’s military and geopolitical support for Israel amid its siege on Gaza, which a number of human rights organizations have labeled a genocide.

Trump has since pulled his endorsement of Greene – vowing to endorse a GOP opponent – and called her a “fake politician” who “betrayed the entire Republican Party.”

This week, the chair of the GOP District Committee in Greene’s district, Jackie Harling, warned fellow Republicans that the spat could end up dealing their party a decisive electoral blow.

“She warned that Greene’s departure has created ‘a dangerous situation,’ with at least a dozen people announcing plans to succeed her in a special election scheduled for March,” writes reporter Cameron McWhirter in the Journal’s report Sunday.

“Too many Republican candidates, she cautioned, could dilute the vote and hand a Democrat the seat. She urged people to pray, and described the coming vote as ‘D-Day.’”

Harling’s comments were made at the Whitfield County Republican Party Christmas dinner last Tuesday, an event typically defined by party unity, but this year, was something of an awkward affair, with McWhirter describing the mood as being “akin to a family gathering after the parents had announced their divorce.”

McWhirter spoke to several Republicans who attended the dinner, many of whom continued to back Greene despite Trump’s relentless attacks on her.

“He’s changed,” said 21-year-old Matt Fowler, speaking to the Journal about Trump. “She’s stayed the same.”

Many at the dinner openly rebuked Trump’s condemnation of Greene, with Harling defending Greene’s reputation.

“Marjorie Taylor Greene represented us accurately,” Harling said, remarks that drew applause from the crowd according to the Journal. “She spoke on our behalf. She was a mama bear that was not perfect. Neither is any of us. But she left big shoes to fill.”