“If your motivation is to keep your head down, work hard to pass legislation, it’s harder than it used to be,” Corry Bliss, a veteran Republican strategist, said in an interview. “It seems more and more, the rewards are skewed toward going on television and being bombastic.”…

“They see Congress as a platform that will bring them fame and notoriety,” said Steve Israel, a former Democratic congressman from New York. “In the past, notoriety wasn’t of value, but with this crowd, it is. The more outlandish they can be on Fox, the more popular they become with the base.”

Ms. Greene has unapologetically pursued the strategy. She said her campaign raised $1.9 million after she was expelled from her committees and after a flood of reports highlighted her past violent and conspiratorial comments, including questioning whether the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened, and suggesting that Bill and Hillary Clinton had John F. Kennedy Jr. killed.

Ms. Greene said the controversy brought in more than a quarter-million dollars in 48 hours.