Now Trump is doing it again. And you almost feel sorry for the Georgia GOP.
Trump is giving a big favor to Stacey Abrams, a Kemp Democrat
beat by a razor-thin margin in 2018. Between now and before the primary election in May, Democrats will make their case with voters, while Republicans will likely spend millions. USD to attack each other.
If you’re wondering why Trump does this, the answer is easy: He
angry in Kemp for refusing to support Trump’s corrosive claim that the 2020 election was stolen and for certifying the Georgia election results.
In most matters, Perdue and Kemp
almost identical. But Trump’s personal ties are clearly enough to justify threatening the party to keep the governor’s mansion.
Perdue and Kemp were deeply conservative southern Republicans. If Trump didn’t resent him too much, Kemp might rank among the most Trumps among Republicans. He ran a campaign ad in 2016 in which he
target a rifle at one of his daughter’s suitors, who then emphasized the importance of the Second Amendment. On immigration, Kemp
speak In one ad, he has a big truck, in case he needs to round up “illegal crimes”. He even
to sue mayor of Atlanta to prevent pandemic masking duties, and he’s spearheaded new Georgia laws that make it happen
harder to vote.
But Kemp has a bit of integrity in one area that some cannot tolerate in the GOP – the 2020 election.
Perdue says he will have
refuse to sign Georgia’s election results, results
checked and double-check and triple-check – an outcome Trump allegedly urged the Georgia secretary of state to change, leading to an ongoing criminal investigation into the former president. (Trump insists he did nothing wrong.)
Perdue, who is dividing GOP Georgia, claims Kemp has
split up Party. And he argued that he would be better off against Abrams than Kemp.
But a week into the race, Perdue should be embarrassed by the reaction to his candidacy. These reactions will also worry the former president, because if Perdue loses, Trump could see the myth of his omnipotence within the party go up in smoke at an aborted election victory party.
In Georgia and across the country, countless prominent Republicans shook their heads and bit their tongues about his candidacy, or they openly mocked it.
Like several other Republicans running in the state, Herschel Walker, the soccer star recruited by Trump to run against Senator Raphael Warnock, would not comment on Perdue. His Spokesperson
speak he seems to be too “laser-focused” on his own campaign. Same goes for Representative Jody Hice, running against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another huge Republican.
do not like of Trump.
Far-right activist Steve Bannon
summon Perdue “the last man in the world” will take on Kemp. Conservative broadcaster Erick Erickson
tweeted, “David Perdue failed to beat Jon Ossoff spectacularly,” referring to now-Sen. Ossoff. “Why does he think he can beat Stacey Abrams?”
Ossoff beat Perdue in part because Trump raged in Georgia after losing in November. Perdue needed votes for the January 5th pass, but Trump’s farce turned against Party election officials The republic and the system’s credibility, did not encourage voting. At a rally, Trump clearly supported
told Republicans do not support GOP candidates. “They didn’t win your vote,” said then-Trump lawyer Lin Wood, claiming the candidates should do more to create a victory for the defeated Trump.
But Perdue’s loss is not due to Trump, and that should worry Perdue supporters – whoever they are.
In a symbolic moment in the first Perdue-Ossoff debate – no second debate, because Perdue
plug out after his horrifying performance in the first season – Democrats exterminated all but Perdue on accusations of corruption and cruelty.
Perdue had
protest some coronavirus stimulus checks. Ossoff captures the pattern: “You’re not just a fraud, Senator,”
he say, Perdue tried to appear nonchalant. “It’s that you’re attacking the health of those you represent…[while] Take care of your own assets and your own portfolio. “(Perdue spokesman
refuse The then-senator engaged in any illegal activity, stating, “For the past five years, the senator has fully complied with federal law and all the ethics requirements of the Senate. “)
Whoever wins the preliminary will surely emerge to be battered. Abrams, meanwhile, is likely to be nominated.
But before Democrats start celebrating their good fortune, there’s another factor to consider. Trump’s relentless work to protect himself from losing again if he runs for office in 2024 is ready
change voting rules in many states. Georgia elections last month
bring a spike in the rejection of absentee ballots. If the race is coming to an end, rules that make voting harder could lead to results.
The biggest risk for Abrams, however, is that the Democrats’ ferocious determination to defeat Trump and get Congress green in 2020 will no longer exist in 2022. That could take its toll. to the voter turnout of Democrats. But this Republican battle may help ease Abrams’ campaign somewhat.
In the end, it’s possible that it was Trump who lost the most in Georgia. If Perdue loses the nomination, it will be Trump’s loss. If he wins the primary and goes on to face Abrams, the contest will become a clear showdown over how much power Trump has at the ballot box.
In the 2020 election, with Trump’s China trade maneuvers, Republicans lost Georgia’s presidency and Senate seats. This time, they could lose the governorship.
Another loss in 2022 will make it clear just how much damage Trump is doing to the party at the polls. Will that be enough to open the eyes of GOP loyalists to the long-term harm he is causing the party? That, like so many other things about what lies ahead for Trump, the Republican Party and American democracy, remains an open question.