You are using an older browser version. Please use a supported version for the best MSN experience.

Georgia Republicans who despise Gov. Brian Kemp threaten to stay home this November if Trump-backed challenger David Perdue loses Tuesday's primary

Business Insider 5/21/2022 wrojas@insider.com (Warren Rojas)

Georgia gubernatorial hopeful David Perdue poses alongside a cardboard cutout of former President Donald Trump during a campaign stop in Augusta, Georgia on Friday, May 20. Warren Rojas/Insider

© Warren Rojas/Insider Georgia gubernatorial hopeful David Perdue poses alongside a cardboard cutout of former President Donald Trump during a campaign stop in Augusta, Georgia on Friday, May 20. Warren Rojas/Insider

David Perdue is challenging incumbent Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a May 24 primary.
Trump has suggested that MAGA world may stay home in November if Perdue loses.
MAGA voters denounced Kemp as a "Judas," "betrayer," and "liar."

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Republicans in Georgia still seething about the 2020 presidential race say they would rather sit out the election in November if Trump's candidate, former Sen. David Perdue, loses an upcoming GOP gubernatorial primary than ever support incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

The animosity towards Kemp, whom several MAGA Republicans described as a "Judas" and "betrayer" for certifying Joe Biden's win in 2020, is unlikely to affect the outcome of the May 24 primary. But it may hurt Kemp's chances this fall in an anticipated rematch with presumed Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams, the woman he narrowly beat in 2018 — with Trump's support.

Donald Trump and his allies are facing a flurry of legal challenges this year. The New York investigations into his company’s finances are ongoing, as are other lawsuits related to his business and January 6. Here are the dates to watch out for this year. Former President Donald Trump has had a number of surprising legal victories ever since he left the White House — though his greatest potential battles are still looming.In November, Summer Zervos, who had accused Trump of sexual assault following her appearance on "The Apprentice," dropped her lawsuit against him before he was forced to sit for a deposition. At around the same time, a New York state judge dismissed a lawsuit from Michael Cohen seeking to have the Trump Organization reimburse legal fees for illegal work he did on Trump's behalf.But greater dangers loom. The Trump Organization is the subject of a sprawling investigation from the Manhattan District Attorney's and New York Attorney General's offices into alleged financial misconduct.In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is weighing charges over his conduct in the 2020 election. Those investigations are proceeding as the Justice Department comes up on the five-year deadline to prosecute Trump over the acts of possible obstruction that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller III scrutinized as part of his investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.Meanwhile, the Biden administration is sending a steady stream of Trump's White House records to the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol. And Trump — along with many of his allies — face political investigations and lawsuits stemming from the January 6 insurrection in 2021. Expect the judges in those cases to set court dates for those cases later this year.While Trump mulls whether to run for president again in 2024, 2022 is shaping up to be a year of legal headaches for Trump and his associates. Here's a timeline of the threats Trumpworld faces.Read the original article on Business Insider

"I don't want Stacey Abrams. But I don't think I can vote for Brian Kemp," a 27-year-old Gordon County resident who declined to give his name told Insider at a "Bikers for Trump" rally about an hour north of Atlanta.

The local Republican, who accused Kemp of "rolling over and letting the country get crucified" during the last election, said he planned to vote for Perdue on Tuesday because the Trump-endorsed former senator from Georgia had vowed to hold everyone involved in the "rigged and stolen" presidential contest accountable if he gets elected.

Earlier in the day, an 81-year-old Georgian who said he's voted Republican since 1964, couldn't even bring himself to say Kemp's name or that of Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger.

"I wouldn't vote for either one of them. They're not Republicans. They're liars," David, who declined to provide his last name, said at Perdue's May 20 event at a rural airfield. He added that Kemp and Raffensperger "did Trump in in Georgia" by not investigating the results to the twice-impeached former president's satisfaction.

Video: Georgia Gov. Kemp 'protecting his job at all costs': Perdue (FOX News)

Georgia Gov. Kemp 'protecting his job at all costs': Perdue

FOX News See more videos

What to watch next

UP NEXT

Kemp and Raffensperger conducted a statewide audit and oversaw recounts of the more than 5 million votes Georgians cast in the 2020 presidential election. Biden beat Trump there by about 12,000 votes.

Amy Steigerwalt, a professor of political science at Georgia State University, said the 2020 race is over for everyone but the Trumpiest locals. "Most voters know that the recounts and audits all showed that the election was conducted fairly and transparently, and that there was no evidence of fraud or malfeasance," she told Insider.

Still, Trump mentioned the possibility of his devotees sitting out the governor's race earlier this month. CNN reported that he said "many Republicans are just not going to vote for Kemp" during a call-in rally he did for Perdue.

David Perdue supporter Robert Weinger hoists his custom shofar at a campaign event in August, Georgia on Friday, May 20. Warren Rojas/Insider

That prediction is closer to becoming reality as Perdue, who is pushing back against recent polling showing that Kemp has a 30-point lead heading into Tuesday's primary, keeps trying to drive GOP voters to the polls.

"I'm encouraging anybody that's concerned about the future of our state and our country to get out and vote — whichever side you're on," he told supporters Friday, adding, "If you don't vote, it is absolutely a vote for the other side."

Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, Perdue rally attendee Robert Weinger, 70, said his mind is made up about November.

"I will not vote for Gov. Kemp," he said, brushing aside gloom-and-doom scenarios about Abrams carrying the state this fall.

"Anybody can beat Stacey Abrams," Weinger said. "She's a fraud."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Go to MSN Home

AdChoices