So much losing: Georgia GOP puts Big Lie on center stage
Deep fissures have been forming in the Georgia Republican Party, and they were recently on full display at the Georgia GOP Convention on June 9-10. The event was held at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center, where Republican activists and delegates packed into the convention hall—many donning bright red, white and blue attire. The event occurs regularly, but the host city changes.
What doesn’t change much is the format. Delegates vote to appoint state Republican officials and on resolutions; activists are entertained by music and meander between cocktail receptions; and attendees sit through long motivational speeches from high-profile politicos. Put simply, it’s a bit of a dog and pony show, but for many Republican faithful, it’s a “can’t miss” event where they can talk about putting the party back on top.
After losing Georgia’s electoral college votes and the state’s two U.S. senate seats to Democrats, you’d think that the Georgia GOP would be dead serious about winning elections. The convention, on the other hand, exposed a major disconnect between the state party and Georgia’s Republican officials and electorate. This threatens to be the neatly wrapped gift that keeps on giving to Democrats.
To begin with, Republicans Gov. Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, and Insurance Commissioner John King all announced that they were skipping the convention. Years ago, that would be unimaginable. Now, Kemp and others appear to be working much more independently of the party.
“Not long ago, Georgia leaders relied on the state party to coordinate [campaigns to boost GOP control of the legislature]. Now Kemp and key allies are sidelining the state GOP and building their own network through ‘leadership committees,’” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Who can blame them?
Despite winning by safe margins and demonstrating fairness in our elections, these candidates have become punching bags for many within the state party apparatus who seem inclined to support others who are detrimental to the party. The Georgia GOP invited both former President Donald J. Trump and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to headline the convention. Having a former president and current candidate like Trump makes some sense until you realize that he’s been a millstone around the necks of Georgia Republicans.
The former president is facing so many criminal charges that he’s practically a walking indictment. He’s long peddled the debunked “big lie”—that the election was illegally stolen from him. Many directly blame him for Georgia losing its senate seats, and despite liberally endorsing candidates for statewide office in Georgia, only one of eight won.
While Trump maintains a dedicated corps of support, all of this combined with his own loss indicates that Georgia’s electorate isn’t that into Trump and large swaths have rejected the big lie. In fact, election denialism seems like a losing recipe in Georgia elections. Even so, Trump loomed large at the Georgia GOP convention, and so did his adherent and fellow election denier, Kari Lake.
She’s significantly amped up her rhetoric since her gubernatorial loss. At the convention, she announced, “If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me, and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me. And most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA!”
Of course, not all of the speakers were of their ilk, but Trump and Lake grabbed headlines as did some of the newly elected Georgia GOP officials who have also questioned the legitimacy of elections. As the Journal-Constitution wrote, “The party’s new first vice-chair, conservative talk show host Brian Pritchard, has claimed the 2020 election was ‘stole’ even as he faces allegations of voting illegally nine times while serving a felony sentence. He’s said he’s done nothing wrong.”
The Journal-Constitution continued, “The second vice-chairman, David Cross, has frequently promoted election fraud theories and is a close ally of Garland Favorito, whose lawsuit alleges counterfeit ballots tainted the 2020 election. Caroline Jeffords, who won the party secretary role, and Suzi Voyles, the assistant secretary, are both involved in legal complaints claiming counterfeit ballots. Voyles is also a former U.S. House candidate whose campaign focused on her efforts to reverse Trump’s defeat.”
This should be worrisome news for Republicans. However, in a breath of fresh air, former state senator, Josh McKoon, replaced outgoing Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer who has been engulfed in controversy, and McKoon delivered a welcome message of unity.
Thankfully, there are others within the party who are also striving to build a bigger tent organization, stand on integrity and believe in the legitimacy of our elections. The sooner the rest of the Georgia GOP realizes that Georgia doesn’t fall in line with the big lie, nor blindly swear allegiance to Trump, the sooner the state party can become more relevant again.