Former political opponent of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks out

ATLANTA - The name of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has been a fixture in recent headlines. Her words and actions seem to have caught some members of Congress off guard. But her former political opponent said it doesn’t shock him.

Neurosurgeon Dr. John Cowan ran against Rep. Greene in the Republican Primary in the race for Georgia Congressional District 14 in northwest Georgia.

Cowan told FOX 5 his campaign took a look back at her social media history like many have been doing the past two weeks as reports emerge. It was one of the many things that gave his campaign pause for concern.

"I don’t think people really looked underneath the hood though when it came to her background and some of the things she previously said," Dr. Cowan said.

Cowan said during last year's campaign, it was a juggle, on a limited campaign budget, to highlight Greene's questionable conspiracies and promote himself as the better conservative candidate.

"She had great endorsements from Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows. That carried a lot of weight. She ran a very comprehensive campaign from day one," said Cowan.

Cowan said he wished her well after losing the primary, but whether it's the fiery tweets or the recent shouting match with a fellow House member and her staff she's making the message about herself which he said is unfortunate.

"I just think there’s a way to punch back and not make a fool of yourself. There’s a way to be silently strong. There’s a way to outsmart people and give them a compelling argument in the appropriate arena," he said.

The doctor said there is an electorate in northwest Georgia that feels forgotten.

"We were frustrated and that’s why we elected what we elected a grenade, a rattlesnake," he said.

But stopping the war that's happening within the GOP means going to back to promoting basic decency.

"We need to preach a gospel of hope. We need to give people compelling reasons why the conservative, constitutional and Christian message are the reason to join the GOP," the doctor said. "And not subscribe to fringe theories and not be irresponsible in our rhetoric and certainly do not divide this country any further."

Whether Dr. Cowan would run again and challenge Greene again, he said he would have to discuss it with family.

He said being a former opponent of Greene, he has a bigger platform now to push conservative values and how he believes they should be approached to make changes in Congress.

WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage

_____

Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts

Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.