GA Primaries: Kemp, Raffensperger Defeat Trump-Backed Challengers

    Image copyright: EPA [via The Guardian]

    The Facts

    • Two high-profile candidates who challenged former Pres. Trump's claims of fraud in the 2020 election prevailed in their GOP primaries in the state of Georgia on Tuesday.

    • Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp defeated Trump-endorsed former Sen. David Purdue in a landslide, 73-21%.


    The Spin

    Democratic narrative

    Georgia was an unmitigated disaster for the disgraced, twice-impeached former president. The GOP base turned out to reject Trump's candidates and his discredited claims about election fraud in 2020. To top it off, Trump's own former VP Mike Pence stumped for Kemp and begged voters to move on from 2020.

    Pro-Trump narrative

    The mainstream media are gleefully reporting on the two primary loses in Georgia as a major setback for Trump in his role as Republican kingmaker. But they're suspiciously quiet on major victories by Trump-backed AG Ken Paxton in Texas and Sen. John Boozman in Arkansas. Trump's candidates have prevailed at a rate of more than 90% this election cycle.

    Cynical narrative

    Trump might not have a perfect record when it comes to backing candidates, but he's found a new source of revenue. Seven of his GOP endorsees, including several from GA, spent more than $400K combined this election cycle at his private club Mar-a-Lago, where Purdue and others posed for photos to raise campaign funds without a guarantee their groveling would pay off.


    Go Deeper


    Establishment split

    CRITICAL

    PRO

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