Former President Donald Trump remains incensed that Gov. Brian Kemp didn’t do enough to assist in helping to fight electoral fraud and to overturn his narrow presidential loss last November in Georgia. That’s why the nation’s 45th president has been courting former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., and encouraging him to wage a May 2022 primary challenge against Kemp for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Insiders wonder if a Perdue decision is near.
Trump himself is considering another presidential run in 2024. Ensuring Georgia has a loyal GOP governor and a network to help him win statewide is a priority. And that’s another reason why he is visiting Georgia Saturday to watch a World Series baseball game at Truist Park (and perhaps sitting with Perdue).
Perdue is also looking at polls by Trump’s pollster and others showing Kemp in a weakened position within his own party base and that, even if he won his party’s nomination, he would be defeated by a Democrat in November 2022. And Perdue would be able to raise big money quickly, especially from Trump-allied political action committees.
Causing Kemp further problems is continuing grumbling along with an ongoing rebellion by Trump loyalists and conservatives within several influential GOP county party organizations. Some don’t like recent gubernatorial appointments. There is also criticism that Kemp has been weak on fighting the Biden administration and Democrats on hot-button issues ranging from illegal immigration to the anti-white “critical race theory” curriculum.
For example, the Cobb County Republican Party issued a stinging rebuke to the governor over the hot- button open borders issue. While Cobb voters overall went for presidential candidate Joe Biden last year, the metro county remains a huge statewide Republican primary vote generator.
Consider this toughly-worded resolution censuring Kemp for what Cobb Republicans term his “betrayal on Georgia’s immigration crisis”:
WHEREAS: The Cobb County Republican Party whole-heartedly supports lawful immigration into the United States of America;
WHEREAS: Yet, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona and has more illegal aliens than green card holders; and
WHEREAS: Innocent Georgians are murdered and American families are separated forever while we suffer crimes of rape, kidnapping, child molestation, drug dealing and job, wage and identity theft by illegal aliens; and
WHEREAS: Governor Brian Kemp has indicated that Georgia will accept thousands of unvetted Afghani citizens deported by the Taliban, such Afghani citizens having no proof they assisted the United States military in Afghanistan and/or are lawfully entitled to immigrate to the United States of America;
WHEREAS: We remember candidate Brian Kemp’s campaign rhetoric associating himself with and agreeing with then-President Trump on illegal immigration; and
WHEREAS: We remember Candidate Kemp’s detailed 2018 campaign promises on legislation addressing sanctuary cities, creating a registry of criminal aliens, a Kemp “Track and Deport Plan” and a constantly televised statement “I’ve got a big truck in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself”; and
WHEREAS: Governor Brian Kemp is silent as Democrat sheriffs end 287(g) agreements with DHS and defy long-standing state law (O.C.G.A. § 42-4-14) he voted for as state senator requiring all jailers to investigate the immigration status of incoming prisoners and report illegal aliens to DHS; and
WHEREAS: Governor Kemp has betrayed citizens of Georgia, pro-enforcement voters, and since becoming Chief Executive has defiantly ignored illegal immigration and his related campaign pledges.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Cobb County Republican Party that Governor Brian Kemp be CENSURED for his failure to keep his campaign promises and meet his obligations to end illegal immigration into the State of Georgia.
It is usually very difficult to defeat an incumbent governor in his own party primary. And a number of Republicans fear a Kemp-Perdue battle would weaken the party in the effort to be the Democrats in November. In any event, this week could tell the story if there will be a primary challenge to Kemp from the political Right.
