Rival to QAnon supporter drops out of US Congress race

In the US state of Georgia, Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal withdraw from the Congressional race against Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who supports the QAnon conspiracy theory. The theory, which started in 2017 and has since gained popularity in the pro-Trump circles, alleges there are power structures controlled by pedophiles who also run a global child sex-trafficking ring and are plotting against the US president.

On Friday, Greene's rival Van Ausdal said his decision to drop out was due to personal reasons.

"I cannot continue this race for Congress…The next steps in my life are taking me away from Georgia, so I will be disqualified from serving in Congress and will give the party a chance to put forward a candidate that can carry this fight to the end."

Van Ausdal did not provide details on the personal reasons which ended his bid for Georgia's 14th district seat. Under Georgia law, he cannot be replaced as he dropped out less than 60 days before the November 3, 2020 ballot.

Republican candidate Greene wished Van Ausdal well and reaffirmed her support for Donald Trump in a tweet.

QAnon and Trump supporter

Greene is a construction company owner and was favored to win even before Van Ausdal dropped out of the election. The seat for the state's most northwestern district was open after current representative Republican Tom Graves announced in December that he would not run for re-election. Graves said Friday that he planned to step down in October, which has raised concerns about how — or if — the seat will be temporarily filled until the election in November.

The Georgia district has heavily supported Republican candidates in recent elections. In 2016, President Trump received 75 percent of the vote in the district.

Greene has expressed her support to the QAnon conspiracy theory and also strongly supported Trump throughout her campaign. The president congratulated Greene after she won the party's primary runoff in August, calling her a "future Republican star" in a tweet.

Read more: Twitter and QAnon: When should freedom of speech be free?

Greene has made a name for herself with her remarks on minorities. A series of videos that surfaced in June showed her saying there was an "Islamic invasion" of government offices and claimed Black and Hispanic men were held back by "gangs and dealing drugs." She has also said that wearing masks in schools in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus was emasculating boys.

kbd/dj (AP, Reuters)