In the political arena, a lot can change in 18 months. Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was a name not recognized by many people outside of Georgia politicos, but that all changed in January 2021, when Trump pressured him to change the state’s Presidential vote totals. Unmoved by the power of the Oval Office, Raffensperger stood his ground, openly defied Trump’s claims and asserted that there was no evidence to support claims of voter fraud. Audio of the call was published worldwide the following day, and from that point on, Raffensperger was lumped into the same group of “disloyal” Republicans who frequently receive public rebuke from the former President.
Considering the damage typically inflicted on any Republican who contradicts Trump, it was easy to expect a primary election loss for Raffensperger, yet he defied the odds. His principled stance gained popularity and support from Georgia voters, including Democrats, who are allowed to vote in Georgia’s open primaries. Ultimately, he defeated his primary opponent, Rep. Jody Hice, 52.3% to 33.4%, and based on the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s poll results published July 28th, 2022, he is on pace to defeat his Democratic opponent in the General Election by a double-digit margin, as the AJC poll shows him up 46% to 32% over Democrat Bee Nguyen. (Libertarian Ted Metz had 7%, a notable percentage for a third party candidate).
DEFYING THE ODDS AGAINST TRUMP SUPPORTERS
How has Raffensperger managed to grow his popularity in such a polarized political era? Ben Burnett, who is a Georgia political talk show host and a former Alpharetta City Councilman, offered his analysis of Raffensperger’s unexpected bipartisan support post 2021.
“The Secretary of State’s role in Georgia state politics isn’t viewed with as much partisanship as it actually has,” Burnett said. ”He pulls on many of the heart strings of liberals for standing up to Donald Trump. He doesn’t get into abortion or guns. So liberals don’t have a lot to hate about him.”
Combined with Senator Warnock’s growing lead over Herschel Walker, the lead enjoyed by Raffensperger shows that Trump can’t count on Georgia to back him in 2024.