ALPHARETTA, Ga. (AP) 鈥� The final days of have exposed internal party fault lines, produced unusual alliances and will test the party鈥檚 ability to consolidate quickly to match on the general election campaign.
The melee, including last-minute and outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, was on full display Monday ahead of Tuesday鈥檚 runoff. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley are competing for the party’s nomination for U.S. Senate, while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson are running for governor.
Trump and Kemp are aligned behind Jones but split in the Senate race. Top grassroots organizers are divided too. Even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a former rival to Trump, stepped into the mix on Jackson鈥檚 behalf, putting him at odds with the president and governor.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of division in the MAGA world and across the Republican Party,鈥� said Debbie Dooley, an original national tea party organizer who is backing Jones for governor but Dooley for Senate. (She’s not related to the candidate.) 鈥淲e better get it together after Tuesday.鈥�
Kemp insisted there is a common denominator.
鈥淓verything I鈥檓 doing is to win in November,鈥� he said Monday after campaigning for Jones and Derek Dooley at separate events in metro Atlanta.
Kemp has backed Derek Dooley for months in the Senate race, arguing it will take an outsider to defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Yet Kemp campaigned for the first time Monday with Jones, a day after he endorsed the lieutenant governor despite Jackson’s outsider campaign. In the governor’s race, Kemp reasoned that Jones is the right man to defeat Democratic nominee and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Trump, meanwhile, has backed Jones since last August, rewarding him for his loyalty as part of Trump鈥檚 in the 2020 scheme to overturn Democrat Joe Biden鈥檚 presidential victory. But the president waited until the final weekend to choose Collins over Dooley, with a social media post that noted Dooley has backed Trump鈥檚 falsehoods about his loss to Biden.
Kemp鈥檚 and Trump鈥檚 differing courses highlight their complicated relationship 鈥� Kemp certified Biden鈥檚 electors in 2020 over Trump鈥檚 objections 鈥� and the results Tuesday will tests both men鈥檚 internal party influence as their final terms play out.
鈥淚鈥檓 not worried about any political equations or keeping score,鈥� Kemp said Monday after campaigning alongside Jones and Dooley at separate morning events. 鈥淚t鈥檚 making sure we have the right people at the top of the ticket.鈥�
He also rejected any notion that he was being inconsistent by pushing the Washington outsider in one race and the Georgia statehouse insider in another. The reason, he said, was that Georgia has been controlled by Republicans for more than two decades and, in Kemp鈥檚 estimation, is doing well enough that Jones would be 鈥渞eally building off the great legacy鈥� of multiple state administrations. Congress, meanwhile, is a mess of 鈥渋naction鈥� with abysmal approval ratings, he said.
Dooley, for his part, embraced Kemp鈥檚 influence and downplayed Trump鈥檚.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very simple,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff. A vote for me is a vote for the people of Georgia.鈥�
Jackson likewise downplayed Kemp鈥檚 last-minute nod for Jones.
鈥淚 respect Gov. Kemp very much, and I think people are ready for an outsider,鈥� he said.
Cruz was more animated, with an implicit comparison of Jackson to Trump.
鈥淗e鈥檚 rich,鈥� Cruz told Jackson supporters with a smile. And he鈥檚 a first-time candidate, the senator continued. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anybody like that in politics,鈥� Cruz deadpanned.
Debbie Dooley, the conservative activist, noted that erstwhile tea party leaders in the state aren鈥檛 on the same page anymore either. While she鈥檚 campaigning with Derek Dooley, the founder of Tea Party Patriots, Jenny Beth Martin, has appeared with Collins.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just not as simple as blindly following Trump anymore,鈥� Debbie Dooley said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want the most conservative candidate. I want the most conservative candidate who can win.鈥�
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