Political observers are noting the high profile defeats in the Republican primary of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who ran for governor, and his longtime second-in-command Gabe Sterling, who lost his bid for secretary of state.
They were the big players in the 2020 election drama that ended up with Donald Trump narrowly losing Georgia. Since then, they have been repeatedly attacked by Trump, the state Republican Party, and many Republicans for what they alleged was an "election manipulation and coverup."
Their defeats marked a trend in the GOP primaries - where Trump's influence felt just as strong as ever. Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones outperformed the polls in the gubernatorial primary, outpacing Rick Jackson by five points. Houston Gaines and Jim Kingston, both endorsed by Trump, won their U.S. House primaries without needing a runoff, (Gaines won easily, but Kingston barely edged over 50% - think that endorsement was worth a few points?).
Please subscribe or log in to view the rest of this story.
