Is Marjorie Taylor Greene the "Canary in the Coal Mine" for the GOP Majority?

A resignation that says a lot about the state of the Republican Party

Happy Mail Bag Day! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Lots to cover in this week’s edition as I write through a tryptophan-induced haze.

Next week is going to be a massive one in politics, with the closely watched special election in Tennessee’s 7th District.

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Diane in Ohio

OK, Dan…I have to know. I know you can’t get in her head, but what are your thoughts on Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation from Congress?

Answer

Unsurprisingly, there were several questions about this. I thought about writing a full post when the news broke, but life intervened and I didn’t have a fully formed take yet. Still, here are a few thoughts:

First, Trump is the weakest he’s ever been, but it’s still very hard to win a Republican primary without his support. Like Jeff Flake and Thom Tillis before her, Greene saw the writing on the wall and decided to leave before she lost. Brian Kemp is the only notable Republican to successfully take on a Trump-endorsed candidate— and that was a unique situation.

This is why I am skeptical about Greene running for office in the future. What’s her path? A MAGA Republican despised by the Right, Center, and Left? She is much more likely to launch a media career than a campaign for higher office.

Second, I think Democrats have gone a bit too far in embracing MTG as some sort of anti-Trump hero. Yes, she deserves credit for breaking with him on the Epstein files, the shutdown, and health care. But that’s a very low bar, and it’s important to remember she isn’t criticizing him for corruption or authoritarianism—she’s upset that he’s drifting away from the core tenets of MAGA.