Trump rebuked in Georgia as Republicans reject his handpicked midterm challengers

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ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republicans handed Donald Trump his biggest defeat Tuesday in his bid to play the kingmaker role in this year’s U.S. midterm elections, choosing Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger despite Trump’s efforts to unseat them.

The primary victories of Kemp and Raffensperger mark a major setback for the former president, who had waged a campaign of revenge against them for refusing to overturn his 2020 election loss, which he falsely claimed was the result of fraud.

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Kemp defeated Trump-backed former US Sen. David Perdue 73%-22%, according to Edison Research. Polls had predicted a victory for Kemp with voters supporting his conservative political record, which included a broad set of electoral restrictions enacted last year.

While the results are a blow to Trump’s reputation, they do not change the fact that Republicans are favored to win control of at least one house of Congress in the November 8 election, which would give them the power to bring the legislature of Democratic President Joe Biden. stalled schedule.

Raffensperger’s outright victory over Trump-backed US Representative Jody Hice was not much expected. With polls suggesting a close race, some pundits had predicted that neither would win a majority, sparking a runoff. Instead, Edison Research projected that Raffensperger had won by 52% to 34%, after counting 96% of the expected votes.

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Conservative commentator Erick Erickson said the victory for Raffensperger, who had been seen as a “dead man walking” due to Trump’s attacks, was “the big tip-off” in Georgia that Republicans wanted to stop litigating again in 2020. .

“Georgia Republicans like Trump but are tired of his bullshit and want to move on,” Erickson wrote on Twitter.

The night was not a total loss for Trump. His pick for the US Senate, former football star Herschel Walker, easily won the Republican nomination. And in Texas, Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated state land commissioner George P. Bush in a runoff after the March primary.

The political environment has become increasingly favorable to Republicans in the run-up to November’s midterm elections. According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday, President Joe Biden’s approval rating has fallen to 36%, the lowest level of his presidency, reflecting voter concerns about inflation.

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Kemp will face Stacey Abrams, a progressive voting rights activist who secured the Democratic nomination on Tuesday. In a victory speech, Kemp tried to paint Adams as a far-left radical who only saw the governorship as a “stepping stone” to the White House. He vowed to defeat her, as he narrowly did in 2018.

“Our battle is far from over,” Kemp said in a speech thanking Perdue for pledging his support. “Tonight begins the fight for the soul of our state to make sure Stacey Abrams is not our governor or the next president.”

MIXED REGISTRATION

Republicans are the favorites to win a majority in the US House of Representatives in November, although analysts say Democrats have a better chance of retaining control of the Senate.

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Some Republican leaders have raised concerns that Walker’s past, including allegations of domestic violence, could hurt his chances against Democratic US Senator Raphael Warnock in November.

Trump has made more than 190 endorsements since leaving office, racking up a mixed record in competitive contests. His nominee for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, is in a race still too close to be announced a week after the vote.

Kemp was also able to maintain broad support because his policies, including a hard line on immigration and lower taxes, were popular with Trump’s base. During a speech, Kemp touted his record of attracting investment to the state.

“Everyone always predicts the downfall of Trump, but here we are today,” said Marci McCarthy, chairwoman of the DeKalb County Republican Party, at Perdue’s election night party. “I think the presence of President Trump across many candidates today says it all.”

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Four other states — Alabama, Texas, Arkansas and Minnesota — also held primaries on Tuesday.

In Alabama, US Rep. Mo Brooks, who lost Trump’s endorsement after saying it was time to put the 2020 election behind him, is heading into a runoff against Katie Britt to decide who will be the Republican nominee for a seat in the US Senate. Britt was the clear leader, but had not reached the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff.

In Texas, US Rep. Henry Cuellar, a moderate Democrat, declared victory in a tight runoff with progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. Cisneros, however, said the race was too close to decide. The mainstream media had yet to screen the winner.

Both candidates polled about 50% with 92% of the expected votes counted early Wednesday morning, according to Edison Research, which put Cuellar’s lead at just 177 votes.

Elsewhere in Georgia, Lucy McBath beat Carolyn Bourdeaux in a rare contest pitting two incumbent Democratic US representatives against each other after Republican lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional map.

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien, Katharine Jackson, Nathan Layne, Jason Lange, and Makini Brice, Writing by Joseph Ax and Nathan Layne; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)