Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who expressed racist views and support for QAnon conspiracy theories in a series of online videos, has won a US House seat representing northwest Georgia.
Her candidacy was bolstered by President Donald Trump, who has called her a future Republican Star .
Ms. Greene was heavily favoured in the conservative district even before Democratic challenger Kevin Van Ausdal suddenly dropped out in September, saying he was moving out of state.
Ms. Greene is a businesswoman and political newcomer who’s gained large followings on social media in part by posting incendiary videos and comments.
Ms. Greene has claimed in online videos that Black and Hispanic men are being held back by gangs and dealing drugs, alleged an Islamic invasion of government offices and accused Jewish billionaire George Soros of collaborating with Nazis.
She has also embraced QAnon, a far-right US conspiracy theory centred around the debunked belief that Mr. Trump is fighting a secret campaign against deep-state enemies and a child sex trafficking ring of satanic pedophiles and cannibals.
In more recent videos and posts, she has attacked everything from the Black Lives Matter movement to the use of facemasks to protect against the coronavirus.
After some of her comments came to light, Ms. Greene was condemned by some future House colleagues within her own party, but many other Republicans including Trump and Republican US Senator Kelly Loeffler have embraced her.
She had a blunt message for her detractors in a speech after winning a GOP primary runoff in August: “I will not apologise.”
“Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent,” Mr. Trump tweeted after her primary win.
Democrats weren’t able to replace Mr. Van Ausdal on the ballot because he dropped out too close to the election, leaving Ms. Greene essentially unopposed in the race. The seat has been open since Graves stepped down in October.
