In a divided Georgia, Kelly Loeffler needs a united GOP - Insider

"She upholds our Constitution, supports our family values and a smaller government."But with less than a month to go before Loeffler faces off against Democrat Raphael Warnock in a January 5 runoff election, the Georgia GOP is divided, and winning over moderate supporters is a losing strategy if Loeffler cannot also hold the right.As Loeffler prepares to face voters for the second time in as many months, she finds herself in a situation that few predicted: President-elect Joe Biden won the state by roughly 12,000 votes, and Loeffler's fellow Republican senator from Georgia, David Perdue, was also forced into a runoff. With the US Senate majority now hanging in the balance, the January 5 runoff is not just Loeffler's fight to win but also one of the most consequential Senate races in memory.When Republican Gov. Brian Kemp selected the business executive and co-owner of Atlanta's WNBA team to fill retiring Sen. Johnny Isakson's seat, there was hope that she would follow in Isakson's footsteps. The incessant infighting not only distracts from the runoff election but also renders the plan for Loeffler to appeal to suburban women futile if she cannot hold on to the Republican conservative base.Kemp picked Loeffler over President Donald Trump's favorite for the seat — the four-term congressman Doug Collins. So, Dooley said, whoever wins the other race, whether it's Loeffler or Warnock, will get replaced in 2022 by a "true conservative." Not every conservative balked at Loeffler in the beginning like Dooley, but just one month after she was appointed, Collins announced that he planned to challenge her for the seat. "There's too many questions — even though she claims to be the most conservative — for me to get behind her." For Lanning, it comes down to sincerity: whether Loeffler is as conservative as she claims and whether her support of Trump is genuine.During the Sunday night debate between Loeffler and Warnock, Loeffler was asked repeatedly if she believed Trump won Georgia and who had her loyalty — Trump or Kemp. Jackson is going to "hold her nose" and vote this time, she said, but then she wants to see a change, including Collins replacing Kemp as governor.Most Republicans in Georgia are with Jackson, at least in that they have no intention of staying home on January 5, but there's an enthusiasm gap. It's a warning sign for Loeffler and her campaign that at least some members of the Republican base, like Dooley and Lanning, are hesitant to vote for her.SurveyUSA released a poll on December 3 showing Loeffler not only trailing Warnock by 7 points but also behind Perdue across demographics, including among Republicans, women, and white voters — by multiple percentage points.