After Georgia setbacks, Trump risks more losses in GOP runoffs
Trump-backed candidates look for upsets in congressional runoffs
After his defeat in the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump launched a personal effort to reshape Republican politics in Georgia with his eyes on a third run for the White House in 2024.
He particularly targeted Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, two conservative Republicans who he personally blamed for his Georgia loss because they refused to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
But his revenge tour was unsuccessful, as both Kemp and Raffensperger defeated Trump-endorsed candidates by wide margins in the May primary.
And the former President’s already-diminished standing in Georgia has the potential to worsen on Tuesday. He has gotten involved in two North Georgia congressional races where the Republican primary almost ensures a general election victory.
In the 6th district, emergency room physician Rich McCormick is seeking to dispatch attorney Jake Evans in Tuesday’s runoff election. Evans, the former chair of the state ethics panel, earned Trump’s endorsement after arguing election fraud claims in court. He also touts an endorsement from Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker who held this seat for decades.
But McCormick, who unsuccessfully ran for a neighboring district in 2020, is no stranger to Republican primary voters. He also significantly leads Evans in campaign cash. While he fell short of the 50% threshold, he outpolled Evans by more than 20,000 votes in the May primary.
Republicans in the 10th district will decide a bruising runoff between trucking company owner Mike Collins and former State Rep. Vernon Jones. Collins, whose father represented much of this district in the 1990s, unsuccessfully ran here in 2014. He has been endorsed by Gov. Brian Kemp and many state and local Republicans. Additionally, all of the candidates who did not make the runoff have endorsed Collins.
Jones, a former Democratic state lawmaker who served as DeKalb County’s chief executive, has struggled to make inroads in this deeply conservative district despite Trump’s endorsement. He rose to prominence in 2020 for bucking his party and endorsing Trump.
He has since become a celebrity among Trump supporters. Though he switched parties the following year, Collins has repeatedly reminded voters of Jones’ liberal past. He has also attacked Jones’ record as DeKalb CEO.
As DeKalb County’s elected CEO, Jones faced investigations of an expensive security detail, and a woman accused Jones of raping her in late 2004. She dropped the charges, but never recanted. Jones said the sexual encounter was consensual.
Collins has been handing out rape whistles to keep the allegation fresh. On Tuesday, Jones filed a police report claiming Collins was encouraging violence against him after Collins tweeted a picture of a gun and the campaign’s anti-Jones whistle.
The first and only televised debate between Collins and Jones was filled with name-calling and accusations. Both candidates questioned their opponent’s conservative credentials and accused one another of corruption.
While Trump has endorsed Evans and Jones, he has significantly scaled back his involvement in Georgia following his bruising losses in the May primary. His last campaign rally in Georgia was in March and he has not cut any ads on Jones’ or Evans’ behalf. It is quite possible that he could be adding two more losses to his Georgia scorecard this week.
So as the former President gears up for an expected third run for President, he will be doing so with a significantly weakened standing in one of the country’s most important swing states. If he is having trouble selling his candidates to voters, one could imagine that he might have a tough time selling himself to voters in another run for the White House.
Ummm very interesting VOTE BLUE
Blue all- the-way!!!