“Even in the midst of difficult primaries, the conservatives in our state did not listen to the noise. They were not distracted,” Kemp told his supporters, before asking his party to demonstrate behind his campaign.
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In defeat, Perdue achieved a unifying tone that has become increasingly rare in a Republican Party dominated by Trump’s harsh tactics.
“I want you to know tonight that I’m supporting Brian Kemp in his career to beat Stacey Abrams,” Perdue said. “It’s emotional for all of us, we’re disappointed, I understand. We take a few hours, lick our wounds, and tomorrow morning you’ll hear I’m going to work for Brian Kemp to make sure Stacey Abrams is never governor of Georgia.
In all, five states voted Tuesday, including Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Minnesota. But none had been more consumed than Georgia by Trump and his lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
The loss of Perdue becomes the latest example of a major setback for Trump’s favorite candidates, who have lost governorship careers in Idaho and Nebraska. A Pennsylvania Senate primary is too close to be called a week after the election.
Still, all of Tuesday’s contests highlighted the sustained power of Trumpism in Republican politics 18 months after he was voted to oust him. His favorite candidate for the Senate in Georgia, Herschel Walker, easily won the Republican nomination despite warnings from Walker’s competitors about his history of domestic violence and mental health struggles. In the fall, he will face current Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in a race that could determine control of the House.
And former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who was the face of an administration that contributed to the nation’s strong division, won the Republican governor’s nomination in Arkansas.
However, with Kemp’s strength in Georgia, other prominent Republicans had become increasingly willing to challenge the former president.
Trump Vice President Mike Pence himself met with Kemp in the Atlanta suburbs Monday evening. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who also campaigned for Kemp and has been critical of Trump, called his victory “huge.”
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“I’m very proud and happy for my friend, and it’s just as important to the Georgia GOP and the people of Georgia,” Christie tweeted. “They were not going to expel a great governor or be a volunteer participant in the DJT Vendetta Tour.”
AP