The results of the Republican primary are a blow to Trump, who had endorsed Hice and frequently criticized Raffensperger. Trump called Georgia’s election “a complete disaster” and said Hice would “stop the fraud.” Recounts, court cases and investigations upheld the results of the 2020 race.

“At the end of the day, we had an election where we verified and investigated every single allegation,” Raffensperger said this month. “This job requires someone to follow the law, to walk that line of integrity.”…

Raffensperger might have benefited from Democratic voters who decided to vote in the Republican primary so they could prevent Hice and other Trump supporters from being elected. Georgia is an open primary state, meaning voters can participate in either party’s primary without having to be a member of that party.

About 7% of voters in this year’s Republican primary previously cast ballots in the Democratic primary in 2020, according to state election data analyzed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.