Controversial Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stumps for Anthony Sabatini in NSB

Controversial Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene got a rock star-like reception from the "Make America Great Again" faithful as she took the stage Saturday in New Smyrna Beach during a rally for Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini who hopes to join her in Washington, D.C.

The approximately 100 people gathered for Sabatini's "America-First" rally at the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce yelled, cheered and clapped as she arrived to stump for Sabatini.

Greene hit familiar notes in the culture war. She called for defunding federal law enforcement but funding border patrol to stop people crossing the southern border. She reminded the crowd she had filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden and also against Attorney General Merrick Garland.

She said there was no comparison between local police departments which protect people and "the corrupt communists up there in Washington, D.C., that abuse their political power to persecute their political enemies."

Greene, Sabatini and other Republicans have gotten their hackles up after the FBI executed a court authorized search warrant on former president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach County. The warrant in part stated that officials were looking for highly classified documents.

Greene went on to say that Sabatini would be a strong ally in Congress.

"Anthony is already a proven fighter in the Florida legislature, proven fighter," Greene said. "Not only is he a proven fighter, he's a strong ally of your great governor, Gov. (Ron) DeSantis.

"He is not afraid to take strong, bold, fearless action," Greene said of Sabatini, "like taking on the impeachment of Joe Biden, who should be impeached, like taking on the impeachment of Merrick Garland. ... like standing up for the political prisoners for being persecuted."

Sabatini, who lives in Howey-in-the-Hills in Lake County, is battling seven fellow Republicans in the primary to advance in the contest for Florida's 7th Congressional District. They are competing to flip the seat which is currently held by Democrat Stephanie Murphy, who is retiring.

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Some in the crowd wore Sabatini T-shirts, while one man wore a red "Make America Great Again" cap, which he later had Greene autograph. Another man wore a black biker-style vest that read: "Born to Ride. 45. Donald J. Trump."

A woman wore a T-shirt that read "Free Joe Biggs" and described the people arrested in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as "political prisoners." Biggs, a Volusia County Proud Boys leader, is in federal custody awaiting trial in the attack on Congress.

Sabatini followed Greene, saying things cannot be like the conservative Republican party of the past.

"The entire phrase of 'Make America Great Again' is so dissimilar from the old guard Republican party, when they talk about conserving things," Sabatini said. "Things are so crazy in this country (that) do we really want to conserve the moment we are in right now? Do we want to sit back and say please don't do anything else? Folks, no. I want to start winning again."

Sabatini said that if he were elected, the first bill he would co-sponsor would be Greene's articles of impeachment against Biden, saying that failing to impeach him would be "normalizing" Biden's "destruction" of the country.

He would also co-sponsor a bill from Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie to eliminate the federal Department of Education.

"The Department of Education is now the biggest mill factory of critical race theory in the country," Sabatini said.

Like Sabatini, Greene champions false claims that Trump won the 2020 presidential election.

Like Greene, Sabatini has called for defunding the FBI. Sabatini on Saturday said that states should stop funding federal law enforcement agencies and instead form law enforcement compacts with other states.

Sabatini, who is a lawyer, and most of his GOP competitors for the seat believe the falsehood that Trump won the election.

Sabatini also filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Florida cities that enacted mask mandates in 2020, including DeLand, which successfully fought back in court.

During the rally on Saturday, Sabatini pointed out one of his supporters in the audience, Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower, who has endorsed him.

Sabatini has also been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Greene is running for reelection in November to Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

On Saturday, Greene repeated a recent announcement that she had introduced a bill making it a felony for anyone to perform gender affirming care for individuals under the age of 18. Greene likened gender affirming care to "child abuse."

She said the care was part of the "left's agenda."

"This is why Republicans have to get bold and tough and stop being a bunch of weak sissy little babies," Greene said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Marjorie Taylor Greene stumps for Anthony Sabatini in New Smyrna Beach