Trump Is Making Georgia All About Himself, And It Could Cost The GOP

Polls suggest he will beat his primary opponent, former Sen. David Perdue, soundly on Tuesday ― in all likelihood with more than 50% of the vote, thereby avoiding a runoff.Which leaves Trump with three choices: endorse the man he has cast as his top nemesis; ignore the race entirely; or actively hurt Kemp’s efforts to win reelection against Democrat Stacey Abrams.For one former top Trump aide, the path forward is obvious: sabotage Kemp, even if it means helping Democrats win the governor’s mansion in Atlanta.“I don’t know if he will do it publicly, but he’ll definitely do it privately,” the former aide said on condition of anonymity. He’s interested in building the Trump Party.”Bullock said some percentage of Georgia Republicans, out of loyalty to Trump, will not vote for Kemp come November, although what that percentage might end up being is not clear.Retired police officer John Strickland, who attended Perdue’s visit to the county Republican meeting in Madison, said he knows “a lot” of people who will sit out the autumn election, including possibly himself.Keith Wilson, who also attended that meeting, said he too may stay home in November if Perdue is not the nominee. “Trump’s always got something to say about everything, whether or not it hurts the Republican Party,” said Chastain, the tax commissioner for Upson County who said he voted for Trump twice but admires how Kemp refused to go along with Trump’s “antics” after the 2020 election.Susan Slade, who attended Kemp’s Canton rally with her retired Delta pilot husband, said that Trump might show some humility after Kemp wins and work to help Republicans hold on to the governorship. There’s no telling with him.”The former Trump aide, though, said he is pretty sure the former president will not be in any mood to back down and ultimately doesn’t really care who the governor of Georgia is, so long as it’s not Kemp ― even if that means electing Abrams.“He needs that final victory,” the ex-aide said.Senior White House Correspondent, HuffPost