Donald Trump picked a new fight Saturday with Georgia's Republican governor as he campaigned in the swing state where he's looking to avenge his narrow 2020 loss, per the AP. Trump railed at Gov. Brian Kemp on social media before his rally and said Kemp should be "fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party." He also criticized Kemp's wife, Marty, for saying she would write in her husband's name for president instead of voting for the Republican nominee. At Saturday's rally, Trump assailed Kemp in a roughly 10-minute tirade, blaming him for his loss to President Biden and for not stopping a local district attorney from prosecuting him and several associates for his efforts to overturn the results.
"He's a bad guy. He's a disloyal guy. And he's a very average governor," Trump said. "Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy." On the X platform, Kemp told Trump to "leave my family out of it" and urged him to stop "engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past." Georgia is likely to see another closely contested election. To win this time, Trump will likely need the support both of Kemp's political operation and from moderate and conservative voters who aren't as committed to him as members of his base. Because of that, some Republicans were surprised at the strong Kemp attack, reports Politico.
- GOP criticism: "I'm sitting here scratching my head," Bobby Saparow, a GOP operative and Kemp's former campaign manager, tells the outlet. "Attacking the popular governor of a pivotal swing state makes zero sense." GOP radio host Erick Erickson added: "All he's doing is reminding everyone why they don't like him. And he has no Georgia ground game and will have to rely on Kemp. It's going to hurt him."
- In 2020: Biden beat Trump in the state by 11,779 votes in 2020. Trump pressured Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to change the outcome and his allies tried to present slates of so-called "fake electors" that could replace the Democratic voters Biden won. Trump was later indicted in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the election, but the case remains on hold while courts decide whether the Fulton County district attorney can continue to prosecute it.
- Kemp's role: The governor certified the electors that Biden won four years ago and repeatedly rejected efforts by Trump allies to replace them. He's since proven to be the rare Republican nationally who can hold his ground against Trump without sacrificing his power or popularity.
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