Trump’s fraud claims have Republicans worried about turnout in Georgia Senate runoffs
President Donald Trump’s continued baseless claims that the election was fraudulent have some Republicans concerned about turnout in Georgia’s runoff races for the U.S. Senate.
Trump has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden as the president and his campaign have attempted to overturn or challenge Biden’s victory in multiple battleground states — including Georgia — with lawsuits that have been largely unsuccessful in court.
The Associated Press and other major media outlets projected Biden the winner of the presidential race Nov. 7. He has 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232. A candidate needs 270 to win.
Biden carried Georgia with 49.5% of the vote to Trump’s 49.3%, picking up the state’s 16 electoral votes, according to the AP. Election officials conducted a statewide audit of the narrow presidential race, which upheld Biden’s win.
But Trump has consistently sought to cast doubt on the integrity of the election in Georgia and lodged attacks against state officials over the outcome, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — both members of the president’s party.
Concern about runoffs
Now, some members of the party are concerned Trump’s attacks could discourage Republicans from voting in Georgia’s upcoming runoff races.
Both of Georgia’s races for the U.S. Senate are headed to runoff elections in January after none of the candidates in the general election received over 50% of the vote as required by the state’s law.
First-term Republican Sen. David Perdue faces Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff for one seat. In the other race, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler faces Democratic candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock, who would be Georgia’s first Black U.S. senator if he wins.
The runoffs will determine which party has control of the chamber.
Fox News’s Geraldo Rivera, a conservative commentator, said Monday the “stakes are so very high” and that “the president is on the wrong course.”
“If people lose faith in Georgia’s electoral system and not show up then they’ll be gifting the Democrats control of the United States Senate,” he said on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
Buzz Brockway, a former Republican state representative, expressed similar concerns to The New York Times.
“I had someone message me just last week saying: ‘Nope, I’m done. Can’t trust the election. Never voting again,’” Brockway told the Times. “The president has a very dedicated group of supporters who don’t really support the broader Republican Party. They support him.”
Eric Johnson, Loeffler’s campaign adviser, said Trump’s comments could hurt the Republican candidates’ chances.
“You can’t say the system is rigged but elect these two senators,” Johnson told the Times.
The president is set to visit Georgia this weekend to campaign with Perdue and Loeffler, and some Republicans worry it could do more harm than good.
“I would hope when the president is in Georgia Saturday he talks about the importance of turning out the vote,” Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican from Missouri, told Politico. “And I think what he says on that trip will probably matter more than what he’s said up until now.”
Trump’s attacks on the election
The president’s attacks focused on Georgia have escalated in recent days.
On Tuesday, the president tweeted that Kemp allowed his state “to be scammed” and called for the Senate runoff races to be canceled. Twitter flagged the post.
“We must check signatures and count signed envelopes against ballots,” Trump tweeted. “Then call off election. It won’t be needed.”
Georgia officials certified the state’s election results on Nov. 20, and Trump’s campaign requested another recount the next day, the AP reports. Election workers are conducting the statewide recount, which is expected to be completed by Wednesday night.
“President Trump and his campaign continue to insist on an honest recount in Georgia, which has to include signature matching and other vital safeguards,” a statement from Trump’s legal team said.
Kemp has also expressed concern about signature matching, but Raffensperger has repeatedly said he is confident in the state’s results.
Signature matching is when officials examine whether a voter’s signature on their mail-in or absentee ballot matches the signature they have on file. But signatures change over time, which can create problems for many voters, NPR reports.
On Monday, Trump attacked Kemp for doing “absolutely nothing” and said he was “ashamed” to have endorsed him for governor in 2018.
Kemp responded to the comments Monday, saying he will “continue to follow the law” despite Trump’s efforts to undermine the election results.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Trump’s fraud claims have Republicans worried about turnout in Georgia Senate runoffs."
