Democrat running against QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene suddenly drops out of Georgia race for 'personal reasons'
Democratic candidate Kevin Van Ausdal, who was running against Republican QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene, has announced he would be dropping out of the Georgia congressional race due to “personal reasons”.
“I am resigning from my race against Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Mr Van Ausdal said in a statement on Friday. “I am deeply saddened by the personal and family reasons that prevent me from continuing on as a candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District.”
Mr Van Ausdal was running in a deep-red district, so his chances of winning the congressional election remained low. But him dropping out has put Ms Taylor Greene one step closer to being the first open QAnon supporter in Congress.
QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that alleges Satan-worshipping pedophiles run a global child sex-trafficking ring. Believers of the conspiracy theory think members of the ring are out to get President Donald Trump. They also believe celebrities and Democrat-leaning politicians are key members.
Mr Van Ausdal did not state what the personal reasons were for why he was dropping out of the race less than two months before 3 November.
“Although all the details remain my family’s alone, please understand this was not an easy decision,” he said. “We are real people managing hard choices.”
The politician then urged the Democratic Party to select a new candidate to run against Ms Taylor Greene ahead of the election, saying her “extremism” and “divisiveness” of the QAnon supporter should not go “unchallenged”.
Georgia’s state Democratic Party could select another candidate to run against Ms Taylor Greene on the ballot, but ballots are set to be mailed out to voters as early as next Tuesday.
