President Trump’s criticism of Georgia officials over the handling of the presidential election results is sparking concerns among Republicans that he could be dividing the state’s GOP ahead of two crucial Senate runoffs in January.
The president started Monday lambasting the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, saying he should overrule Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after the state certified President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the race.
“Why won’t Governor [Brian Kemp], the hapless Governor of Georgia, use his emergency powers, which can be easily done, to overrule his obstinate Secretary of State, and do a match of signatures on envelopes. It will be a ‘goldmine’ of fraud, and we will easily WIN the state,” Trump tweeted.
The president is set to campaign for incumbent Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) in the Peach State on Saturday and is urging supporters to not boycott the races, which will determine the balance of power in the Senate.
“No, the 2020 Election was a total scam, we won by a lot (and will hopefully turn over the fraudulent result), but we must get out and help David and Kelly, two GREAT people,” Trump tweeted in response to a Newsmax story reporting the president’s supporters were considering boycotting the race amid fraud claims.
“Otherwise we are playing right into the hands of some very sick people. I will be in Georgia on Saturday!” he added.
The dynamic has presented a picture of infighting among Georgia’s Republicans ahead of two of the most important Senate races the state has seen in years.
“We’re clearly, just to put it mildly, in uncharted political waters here,” said Chuck Clay, a former state GOP chairman and current attorney at Hall Booth Smith. “If Trump is going to have a political legacy in Washington, D.C., he’s got to win these two Senate seats.”
Of chief concern to many GOP operatives is that Trump’s continued attacks on Georgia’s elections system — and mail-in voting, in particular — may serve to discourage Republicans from using a voting method that helped propel Biden to victory in the state in November.
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