Kevin T. Velez, Campus Carrier asst. arts & living editor

Marjorie Taylor Greene faces new challenger in next election. 

Unlike in her first election, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represents Rome and the rest of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, will face opposition from the Democratic party. In her 2020 House of Representatives election, Greene ran against Kevin Van Ausdal, who unofficially dropped out of the race prior to the general election. With Van Ausdal dropping out of the race, Greene was able to secure the seat with 74.7% of the votes, according to Ballotpedia.org. 

Marcus Flowers is part of the growing opposition from the Democratic Party that Greene is set to face in her 2022 reelection campaign. Flowers, an army veteran and former defense contractor, is seeking to take Greene’s seat in the next election. On a platform based on infrastructure improvement, veteran issues and internet connection in rural areas, Flowers hopes to solve these issues in Georgia’s 14th District. The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions related to it have limited Flowers’s ability to hold rallies and give speeches during his campaign; however, he is still confident in his ability to raise awareness on his campaign and bring up issues he is passionate about. 

According to Flowers, after the death of George Floyd, Flowers was motivated to help Van Ausdal’s campaign as much as he could in his limited capacity as a government official. Flowers attributed his desire to run against Greene in this election to the events on Jan. 6 and Greene’s actions before and after the storming of the United States Capitol. As a government official, Flowers was dismayed at Greene’s approach of inciting the violence. 

“I could not sit back any longer and watch what is going on,” Flowers said. “The white-hot rhetoric that we have seen the last several years in our body politic has become unacceptable.” 

During his time in the army and latest position with the Department of Defense, Flowers has gained knowledge and experience within the U.S. government. Flowers has also worked with U.S. allies in warzones like Iraq and Afghanistan as well as in peacekeeping operations in the Baltics. Flowers plans to use his experience in government and working with global allies to reach across the aisle if elected. 

“Knowing that I can work with anyone because I have worked with everyone and being able to reach across the aisle and talk with people who do not necessarily believe the way that I do, these are the qualifications that I bring to the table,” Flowers said. 

Flowers describes himself as a strong advocate for bi-partisanship and working with other members of Congress who may have a different view. 

“One of the things I have always done, even before the military, is try to meet people where they are,” Flowers said. “People’s priorities are not necessarily your priorities, their views are not necessarily yours.” 

When dealing with conflict or discourse on political issues, Flowers addressed the challenge by not vilifying the opponent. 

“We are not going to agree on everything, that is fine, but there is always something that we can agree on,” Flowers said. “This is the United States of America, we have a shared set of values here.” 

As the political landscape in Georgia begins to shift after the state voted blue in both the 2020 Presidential election and Senate runoff election, Flowers knows that this shift is not just limited to Georgia. 

“At the congressional level, a lot of people are not happy with Marjorie Taylor Greene and they are not happy with the bitter partisanship,” Flowers said, “and how that works for me is that I am going to be that bridge builder, and I am going to go in and work with Democrat colleagues and Republican colleagues to get things done.” 

Flowers hopes that students at Berry recognize the building movement in Georgia people like him and Stacey Abrams are helping construct. The vision of the movement, in Flowers’s opinion, is to see America become the best it can be and he knows he can do that if elected. 

“There are so many good people here in Georgia who want to see America be the best that it can be, and that is what I want,” Flowers said.