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“Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams will face each other once again in a rematch of the 2018 race that is likely to be one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched. Kemp easily turned back a GOP primary challenge Tuesday from former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who was backed by former President Donald Trump.” AP News
“Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was a top target of former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary as he seeks reelection. Raffensperger beat three challengers, including Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who had criticized his handling of the 2020 election.” AP News
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won his Republican runoff election against Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush on Tuesday despite facing a slew of legal problems, including an FBI investigation and a trial on securities fraud charges.” AP News
The right calls on Republicans in Georgia to unite for the general election and highlights its high turnout.
“The sheer size of Kemp’s victory is too much to brush aside as non-consequential. Clearly, most Republicans in Georgia did not buy the idea that Kemp ‘betrayed’ Trump by not somehow overturning the 2020 election. It’s also likely that many voters just wanted to move forward and win in November, no matter what they thought of the issue, not being as concerned with continuing to relitigate the past for no gain…
“In the end, Kemp is the stronger candidate against Stacey Abrams, and the Democrat gubernatorial nominee is probably angrier that Kemp won than Perdue is, with the latter quickly conceding and endorsing the current governor. Abrams knows she’s already at a disadvantage, and now she’s lost the one talking point she likely hoped to press. Namely, bringing up Trump over and over. That attack just won’t work on Kemp for obvious reasons…
“As to what Perdue crashing and burning indicates about Trump’s endorsement power in major races, I think some are reading too much into it. The former president still has a lot of sway with GOP voters, and that’s been shown in other races. Georgia was unique in that Kemp has always been popular, and I think Perdue came across as a lackey instead of a man standing on his own two feet. Regardless, now is the time to unite and deny the Democrats any big wins in Georgia.”
Bonchie, RedState
“Early voting has ended in Georgia. This means that at long last, the nation gets to find out just how out of touch with reality Democrats were when they denounced the state's new election reform law… The fact is, that law is probably helping a lot of additional people vote. It was a smart reform measure that Democrats simply couldn't stop lying about…
“Georgia's adoption of voter ID 16 years ago, combined with the new measures that improve absentee ballot integrity and access to early voting, has made it easier for anyone to vote legitimately. The proof is unfolding now: At 800,000 ballots cast as of Friday, early voting tripled in this year's primary compared to the last midterm election in 2018, and it is even higher than the presidential-year early vote of 2020.”
Editorial Board, Washington Examiner
“Now that a tsunami of early voting has shown that, indeed, there’s no voter suppression in Georgia, the disinformation scolds are nowhere to be seen; the fact-checkers aren’t swinging into action… The Sunday shows didn’t do long segments devoted to the theme of how democracy in Georgia, once claimed to be hanging by a thread, has remarkably revived… As with the Russian hoax, having promoted the Georgia voting hoax means never having to admit error, let alone apologize.”
Rich Lowry, National Review
The left argues that the results are a setback for Trump and his claims about election fraud, and is disappointed by Paxton’s victory.
The left argues that the results are a setback for Trump and his claims about election fraud, and is disappointed by Paxton’s victory.
“[Kemp’s] smashing victory on Tuesday was a testament to his success in making himself a Trumpy candidate in every way other than in bending the knee to Trump’s stolen-election claims. He used his gubernatorial powers ruthlessly and effectively to head off any room to his right, cutting taxes (and suspending gasoline taxes), championing voter suppression and extreme abortion laws, and reminding Republican voters he had been just as ruthless in turning back a tough 2018 challenge from Stacey Abrams, whom he will face once again in November…
“Trump has already stumbled in his effort to make Republican midterm primaries proof positive of his domination of the GOP, with the defeat of his gubernatorial candidates in Nebraska and Idaho; his struggle to pick a Senate candidate in Pennsylvania; and his withdrawn endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Mo Brooks. After this primary setback in Georgia, he’d better get his mojo back soon or his party leadership will be seriously in question.”
Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine
“We got some proof Tuesday that failure to adhere to [Trump’s] ‘big lie’ about election fraud in 2020 isn’t really a dealbreaker for a swath of GOP voters. Much like Kemp and Raffensperger in Georgia, Arkansas Sen. John Boozman did not question the 2020 election results… Although the Big Lie has been normalized by many Republicans, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who won his primary on Tuesday, Georgia’s and Arkansas’s races suggest there’s a split in the party, and it’s not the deciding factor for many GOP voters.”
Li Zhou, Vox
“[Paxton] has been under indictment since 2015 for alleged securities fraud. Much of his staff quit en masse in 2020 and accused him of abusing his office to help a campaign donor whose home had recently been raided by the FBI. He allegedly cheated on his wife with a state-senate staffer who went on to work for said donor. And he is a bad lawyer. His lawsuit attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election was so error-strewn and poorly argued that the state bar is now suing his deputy over it…
“But rather than being run out of the party, Paxton has now found an enduring place in it, in part because of that same shamelessness that’s characterized his personal and professional dealings. State attorneys general are a huge nexus of power for a political project that has achieved many of its greatest successes by aggressively working the legal system. If your movement is going to be built around chipping away at individual rights and Democratic power via the courts, if it is going to turn every ballot or enacted law into a legal battle, then you need people like Paxton to keep churning out briefs.”
Tim Murphy, Mother Jones
