According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former President Donald Trump was "stunned" by Brad Raffensperger's victory in the Georgia secretary of state Republican primary.
Last Tuesday, the GOP primary was won by Raffensperger with 52 percent of the vote, compared to 33 percent for his opponent.
In the primary, the incumbent secretary of state carried most of Georgia, but came up short in the collection of counties that make up the 10th House district, which Hice represents in Congress.
Two senior Republicans with ties to Trump told the paper that the former president thought that Hice would win the election because he staked his campaign on the handling of the 2020 presidential election.
He was able to immediately begin his campaign for the fall contest because he exceeded the 50 percent threshold in the GOP contest. The two Democratic candidates vying to be their party's nominee are going to a June 21 runoff.
It would have been unthinkable for the Republican win in Ohio to be so decisive a few weeks ago.
The former president enjoyed his ability to exert unparalleled influence over the party as Trump flexed his muscles.
He argued that the two officeholders didn't do enough to help him carry the state while also baselessly suggesting that fraud contributed to his defeat.
During the months between the election and the inauguration of Biden, Trump called for a special legislative session to install pro-Trump electors who would ignore the statewide victory of Biden.
Georgia officials found no evidence of widespread fraud after conducting several vote counts.
The influence of the former president still has its limits, as evidenced by the results of the Kemp and Perdue primaries.
Several prominent voices within the GOP have urged the party to look toward the upcoming elections, including onetime Trump aide and former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
