Georgia's primaries may be Trump's biggest test yet

Trump likely won’t get his pick for governor, but his endorsed candidates for secretary of state and attorney general could find more success at the ballot box. And similar to Trump’s vendetta against Kemp, both picks are part of a widespread campaign to oust Republican incumbents who defended the legitimacy of the 2020 election and replace them with Trump-backed candidates who would then run future elections.

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Take Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s chief election officer, who defended the legitimacy of Georgia’s 2020 results and rejected Trump’s demands to alter Georgia’s vote tally to put Trump ahead of Biden. This move earned Raffensperger Trump’s enmity and a significant primary challenge from Trump-backed Rep. Jody Hice. Speaking to Raffensperger’s vulnerability, Hice has outraised the incumbent $2.2 million to $1.7 million.

Yet Raffensperger still has a fighting chance, in part because he’s portrayed himself as a strong defender of election security by amplifying his support for Georgia’s new law that created more stringent voting rules. Limited polling over the past month and a half shows a highly uncertain race, too: One survey had Raffensperger ahead, another had Hice, and two others had the two candidates running neck and neck. With two other candidates also running, the race could go to a runoff, and the eventual GOP nominee could face a competitive general election against the Democratic nominee — most likely state Rep. Bee Nguyen, who has lapped the primary field in fundraising.

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