Trump vs. GOP
Sez tirade aids party in Ga. Senate runoffs
President Trump on Monday derided Georgia’s GOP leadership as turncoat “Republicans in name only” even as the party scrambles to stay unified for the crucial upcoming U.S. Senate runoff elections.
Spewing unfounded claims about his loss in the state, Trump trashed Gov. Brian Kemp and top GOP lieutenants for failing to back his dead-end effort to overturn the results of the presidential vote in the Peach State.
“What are these RINOS hiding?” Trump tweeted.
“We will easily win.” Trump is using the loyalty of his powerful base of supporters as leverage to keep Republicans in line behind his claims that the election was stolen from him.
The president claims his attacks will help Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) turn aside Democratic challengers in the Jan. 5 runoff elections, which will determine control of the Senate.
But most analysts believe the
v ng t e party an benefit the Democrats.
Trump may also turn moderate suburban voters against Perdue and Loeffler by roping them into his outlandish push to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Perdue has already suggested he may bow to Trump and back an unprecedented effort to reject the vote of the Electoral College on Jan. 6.
Turnout so far is very high for both early in-person and mailin absentee voting, particularly among Black voters
. The data appear to give a modest edge to Democrats Jon Ossoff, who is up against Perdue, and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is battling Loeffler.
Republicans traditionally outperform expectations in runoff elections; however, with so much attention focused on the Georgia races, it’s not clear that those rules will apply this time.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris rallied supporters at a drive-in campaign event in Columbus on Monday. cou