December 8, 2021

It Sure Looks Like Trump Is Going to Decide the Georgia Governor’s Race

David Perdue getting the MAGA rally treatment during his reelection campaignRobin Rayne/Zuma

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Remember that cult of personality who selfishly had his supporters commit an almost-coup about a year ago because he couldn’t accept that he lost? Well, it seems he’s still the de facto leader of the Republican party.

As Georgia heads for a gubernatorial election, a new poll of likely Republican voters suggests that former President Trump’s endorsement could sway the primary.

An initial survey of 500 Georgians found that 41 percent would vote for incumbent Brian Kemp, while 22 percent favored former Sen. David Perdue, who lost reelection to Senator Jon Ossoff earlier this year.

Then, respondents were then informed that Trump had endorsed Perdue—after that, many potential voters changed their tune. The knowledge of Trump’s endorsement tied Kemp and Perdue at 34 percent.

The survey is far from definitive, but it does suggest that many Republican voters remain beholden to Trump and his opinions.

As I pointed out last week, Kemp is a staunch conservative who enacted laws suppressing voting rights and banning abortions as early as six weeks (though the latter legislation hasn’t gone into effect, pending a federal appeals court decision). But Kemp’s loyalty to Trump faltered when he refused to overturn the results of the presidential election in Georgia, and Trump has retaliated by promoting a senator whose failed campaign was roiled by controversy.

The slow death of democracy is dumber than I thought it’d be: A series of Trump press releases denouncing anyone who didn’t agree he won in 2020.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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