After former President Donald Trump publicly criticized and insulted Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp during a recent MAGA rally in Atlanta, concerns have been growing among GOP leaders and activists that Trump may have jeopardized his chances of winning Georgia in the upcoming election.
According to a Politico report published Monday, “That pressure has increased in recent weeks.” The outlet notes that, similar to other key battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Trump has seen his strong lead in Georgia diminish since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. Now, Trump and Harris are effectively tied in the state.
An anonymous Georgia Republican revealed to Politico that the Trump campaign had reached out to local legislators, urging them to post positive comments about the rally on social media, but many refused. “The Trump campaign was calling around to legislators … asking them to post positive things about the rally on social media and were being told, ‘No,'” the source said.
In an effort to regain support among voters who were alienated by his remarks about Kemp, Trump is attempting to rally his base. However, former Nikki Haley campaign Georgia chair Eric Tanenblatt questioned whether this strategy would be enough. “Trump can energize all the MAGA folks,” Tanenblatt said. “But the question is, is that enough?”
Kemp, who has stated that he still plans to vote for Trump, controls a powerful turnout operation in Georgia and has a proven ability to unite traditional Republicans and independents—voters Trump will need to secure the state. Another Republican operative expressed concerns that Trump’s attacks on Kemp could lead to a significant loss of support among this crucial group. “It’s less about the infrastructure [Trump] has.
And it’s just more about the activist class — that is the segment of the activist class that is loyal to the governor — it’s completely going to either sit it out or actively hope the president loses,” the operative told Politico. The operative went on to describe Trump’s criticism of Kemp as a “nuclear explosion” that would make the race more costly and challenging for the former president.
Conservative commentator Erick Erickson, based in Georgia, echoed these concerns, noting that the Democrats’ ground game in the state is far surpassing that of the GOP. “They’ve been registering new voters and farming for absentee ballots with paid operatives, some of whom are making up to $40 an hour. The GOP has nothing at that level,” Erickson wrote on X (formerly Twitter). As the election approaches, the fallout from Trump’s comments about Kemp may prove to be a significant hurdle for his campaign in Georgia.