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Republican governors devised the plan months ago. Meeting in the Phoenix desert resort of Biltmore in mid-November, they agreed to face a new threat to their actors: former President Donald Trump stepped up support for the main contenders as part of what a former governor called a “personal tour of vendetta ‘.
To protect the actors who will be re-elected this year, the Association of Republican Governors has decided to spend millions of dollars on primary elections, an unusual step for an organization that usually keeps its money for general election matches against Democrats.
“The focus is on 2022. I don’t think we need to spend another moment in talks for 2020,” said Doug Ducey, co-chair of the Association of Republican Governors, in an interview with The Washington Post. Asked if Trump’s help for his favorite candidates cost a lot, the Arizona governor, who named states where Republican governors avoid or defeat Trump’s rivals, said, “It hasn’t happened before.”
Voting in Georgia is growing despite the controversial new election law
The gambit is set to culminate Tuesday in Georgia, where Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is strongly preferred to defeat former Sen. David Purdue in a closely watched primary. Trump appointed Purdue and made him his candidate in a major crusade against Republican officials who opposed his fight to cancel the 2020 election, which is rooted in false allegations of fraud.
RGA is investing about $ 5 million in Georgia, according to someone familiar with the group’s costs, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive details. A parade of Republican governors and luminaries lined up to protect Kemp. And former Vice President Mike Pence, who was once governor of Indiana, will appear with Kemp on Monday – setting the stage for Pence’s most direct confrontation against Trump in the interim.
The influx of RGA money into Georgia, according to strategists on both sides in the governor’s race, has dealt a devastating blow to Perdue, which is struggling to raise funds to compete.
“It’s just not the best way to use our money. Rather, we would only use it to compete against Democrats, “former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, co-chair of the 2022 RGA fundraising group, told The Post in November in Phoenix. “But it was necessary because Donald Trump decided on the Vendetta tour this year, so we must be sure that we are defending those people who are the object of his revenge.
The clash focused on an extraordinary battle for the future direction of the GOP, which extends far beyond Georgia. On the one hand, he is a victim of a former president who maintains widespread party loyalty to the party. Conservative governors, on the other hand, agree with Trump on many issues but are tired of his campaign allegations, which post-election audits have shown to be untrue.
And the latter is already a success.
The Trump-backed candidate lost heavily in the primary election for governor of Idaho, where the RGA backed Gov. Brad Little, and the former president backed away from early rumors that he could challenge incumbent governors in Ohio and Alabama. In Nebraska, outgoing Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts’ political machine helped push Trump’s election for governor into an open race accused of sexually assaulting multiple women
Angered that Kemp refused to help undo the election results in a key state on the battlefield, Trump began to tear it down. He called him a “coup”, a “coward” and a “complete and utter catastrophe”. He pumped $ 2.64 million from his political action committee in an effort to oust Kemp, far more than the former president spent on any other race.
“It’s not easy to defeat an incumbent governor,” Trump said in an interview with The Post on Monday. “I am the one who chose this man. I supported him and he won. He is not good with the integrity of the election and has done a terrible job with the integrity of the election. We’ll see what happens.”
Trump added that he had heard that Perdue was “growing”, although recent polls did not reflect a change in the race.
Purdue told local media that he did not believe that outside support had helped Kemp. “RINO is marching in a parade in Georgia to go around, I think, the carriages around a very fierce, weak governor,” Purdue told WSB-TV, a local station. He used the derogatory acronym for “Republicans by name.”
Weeks ago, as it seemed increasingly likely that Perdue would lose, Trump began to distance himself from the candidate, deciding not to hold another personal rally and complaining to advisers that Perdue was not working hard in the race, according to people familiar with the matter. with a situation that speaks on condition of anonymity to describe personal conversations. Trump is scheduled to hold a televised rally with Perdue on Monday night.
Such a stance was astounding, experts said, as Trump had to persuade Purdue to run all the time – after Purdue personally accused Trump of stifling Republican turnout in the Senate runoff in January 2021 with allegations of fraud.
On Friday, Trump tried to quell the idea of giving up Perdue by posting on his social media platform that it was a “fake story” and adding “I’m with David all the way.”
Republicans backing Kemp have tried in recent days to portray the race as a potentially brutal political failure for Trump. “Obviously this is the most important competition for Donald Trump in the country. He made Brian Kemp the number one public enemy, “said Christie. “We have to decide whether we want to be ‘my party’ or ‘our party’. And that’s what many of these primary elections will decide. “
In open disobedience to the party’s de facto leader, a number of Old Guard Republicans, including three incumbent governors, former President George W. Bush and Pence have rallied around Kemp as they try to create a barrier to protect conservative governors from what they see. like the whims of Trump.
A recent Fox News poll found that 60 percent of Republican voters support Kemp, placing him 32 percent ahead of Perdue. To avoid a runoff, Georgian candidates must win a majority of the vote.
Kemp’s supporters hope the victory will send the message that it is possible to stand up to Trump without paying the ultimate political price. “It is important. Losing him gives people the courage to speak up, “said Bill Palatucci, a Republican National Committee in New Jersey and an ally of Christie’s.
During the election campaign, Kemp promoted conservative policies he and the GOP-controlled state legislature had adopted during his tenure, including an electoral security law that voting groups say will oppress voters and led to a reaction from civic and business leaders in the state. Kemp cited concerns about the 2020 election, although he acknowledged the results of the election that President Biden won in the state.
At this year’s legislature, Kemp signed laws attracting conservative voters on a number of issues, including measures to allow unlicensed firearms, added restrictions on teaching race, history, gender and sexuality in classrooms, and “the strictest abortion bill.” in the country “, according to the governor. The bill bans abortion once a doctor can detect what they call a “fetal heartbeat,” usually about six weeks before many women find out they’re pregnant.
“We didn’t hesitate when we passed the heart rate bill and Hollywood tried to repeal it,” Kemp said Saturday at an event that drew about 200 people to Watkinsville, Georgia, with Ricketts, the Nebraska governor and co-worker. of the RGA Chairman. “And we didn’t hesitate when Major League Baseball drew the All-Star Game, when we passed the strongest act of fairness in the country’s elections. Because we saw the mechanical problems with the 2020 elections, which disappointed me and disappointed many other people.
“I think he did what was right around the election, and more importantly, I believe he was a real conservative in all the things that conservatives are interested in. “It’s not like Brian is someone the president would call RINO,” said Pance’s longtime chief of staff, Mark Short. Short, joined Kemp’s campaign as a senior adviser in the race.
A former chief executive of Reebok and Dollar General, Perdue is a prominent figure in Georgia whose family has been involved in the business community and state policy for decades. He echoed Trump’s false campaign allegations.
“This governor’s race now will determine whether or not we have a conservative Republican in the White House in the 24th year,” Purdue said at an event on Friday.
A cousin of a former governor and heir to a major political dynasty in the state, Purdue ran as a political outsider in 2014. He lost to the current Sen. John Osof (D) In a run-off in January 2021, which, along with another run-off in the state Senate, gave Democrats unified control of Congress. In his candidacy for governor, Perdue gained a sharp tone as he defended false election allegations.
He has often criticized Kemp for splitting the Republican Party in 2020 and warned that he could not defeat the likely Democratic candidate for governor, Stacy Abrams, in the fall. His campaign ads feature Trump. “Democrats have toured Brian Camp,” Trump said in one place. Trump then turned to Purdue, whom he called “smart” and “tough.”
In another, Purdue spoke to the camera and said, “Kemp failed before the election and the country is paying the price today.”
Even with Trump’s cash infusions, political observers in Georgia said there was little evidence that the campaign was doing much with the money.
“I’m on the biggest radio station in Georgia. I haven’t heard an ad …
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