ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s Bloodraffenspurger, Republican Secretary He rejected Donald Trump’s appeal Wednesday said he was running for governor in 2026 to help overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
The wealthy engineering entrepreneur may appeal most to business-oriented Republicans who once dominated the Georgia GOP primary, but he has pledged a strong, conservative campaign, even if lightly corned by Trump and his allies. Raffensperger’s entry into the field has strengthened the state’s primary with an unbroken Republican governor since 2002.
“I’m a conservative Republican and am ready to make tough decisions. I follow the law and the constitution. I always do the right thing for Georgia,” Raffensperger said in the release video.
Raffensperger It was against Trump’s anger To win reelection in 2022, however, he will once again test the tolerance of GOP major voters against the president’s targeted candidate. His first challenge may even qualify for primary. Georgia Republican Party Vote in June for ban Raffensperger runs under the banner, but the party’s chairman said this attempt might not go anywhere.
Two other top Republicans have already taken part in the race. Burt Jones and the Attorney General Chris Kerr. Jones vowed himself “Formally elected and qualified” elector Even if there’s Democrat Joe Biden, for Trump in 2020 Declared the winner of the state. Carr sided with Raffensparger. Reject the assignment In the results. Other Republicans include Clark Dean, Scott Ellison and Greg Kirkpatrick.
On the democratic side, top candidates include former Atlanta mayor Caishalans Bottomsstate senator Jason Estevez Former state secretary of labor Michael Thurmond. Raffensperger’s favorite Geoff Duncan has spurred Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election as Li, a Republican. I took part in the governor’s race on Tuesday. As a Democrat.
Raffensperger pledges what they call “a bold, conservative agenda,” including abolishing state income taxes, closing property taxes for seniors, banning drugs from care for adolescent gender violations, and packing “awakening curriculum” from schools. He also pledges to work with Trump to increase employment, deport immigrants with criminal records, and “restore law and order.”
Introverted in the national spotlight
He starts later than the other candidates, but Raffensparger has the ability to benefit from voters who already know him, as well as fund his own campaign. The 70-year-old sold his specific reinforcement company, Tendon System, privately in 2023.
Raffensperger was safely inside the conservative fold before turning his claim to honor the 2020 election results into an introverted engineer into an unlikely national figure. He opposed abortion, promoted tax cuts as a state legislator, and ran for Secretary of State in 2018 to highlight his management capabilities. During that race, Brenton Raffensparger, one of his three sons, died of an overdose of fentanyl at the age of 27.
He took office for most of his first two years. Fighting against lawsuits Submitted by the Democrats It was filed in vain Georgia, under then-secretary of state Brian Kemp, engaged in illegal voter suppression in Kemp’s victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2018. Raffensperger was also tasked with deploying a new Dominion voting machine for the 2020 election, which was neglected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia changed things. Raffensperger publicly said he hoped Trump won, but firmly ruled that there was no evidence of widespread fraud or voting fraud. Trump and his partisans strengthened their attacks.
In his 2021 book “Integrity Counts,” Raffensperger has a death threat sent to his wife, meet a man he suspects is stakes at home, and Escorted from the Georgia State Capitol On January 6, 2021, when a handful of protesters entered the building the day more protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
However, on a call a few days before January 2nd, I wrote the name of Raffensperger in history. Trump has pressured the Secretary of State to “find 11,780 votes.” This was enough to overturn Joe Biden’s state victory, disproves his claims of fraud, raises the outlook for a “criminal crime” if officials did not change the number of votes, and raises the outlook for a “criminal crime” according to conversation records.
Raffensperger retreated, noting that the lawsuits making these allegations were fruitless.
“We don’t agree you won,” Raffensperger told Trump.
Political careers since 2020
Refusing the buckle made Raffensparger a huge political target. Lawmakers banned repeated decisions to mail absentee ballot applications to voters, and restricted the use of Absentee Voting Dropbox. They stripped him of his post chair. State Election Commissionultimately created an institution lined with Trump, where attempts to assert control of the election process were shot down by the court. Trump Approved Senator Jody Hice. Georgia’s election votes opposed the count of President Joe Biden to challenge Raffenspurger in the 2022 Republican primary.
If Raffensparger was rattling, he didn’t change his public style. He stuck to a quiet speech campaign before members of the Civic Club fell asleep after a heavy lunch. Voters generated him. Cast votes in GOP contests. He then cruised to reelection over Democrats.
