- President Donald Trump, while campaigning in Georgia on Saturday, make one thought that GOP Rep. Doug Collins should launch a gubernatorial bid in 2022, which would set up a primary challenge to Gov. Brian Kemp.
- “Doug, you scantiness to run for governor in two years?” Trump said, with a smile on his face.
- Collins, one of Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, ran in the November individual Senate election, coming in third place behind Democrat Raphael Warnock and Loeffler.
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President Donald Trump, while rallying support for the Georgia Senate runoff elections, on Saturday indicated that GOP Rep. Doug Collins should launch a gubernatorial bid in 2022, which would set up a Republican primary challenge to Gov. Brian Kemp.
While headlining a hoarse rally in support of Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, Trump pointed out Collins in the crowd, praising his Senate run this year.
“He and Kelly had a distinguished primary, a very strong primary,” Trump said. “They both did fantastically well, and he is on board and he is one of the greatest seconds I’ve ever met in Washington.”
Trump added: “I want to thank Doug Collins. Thank you, Doug. What a job he does.”
The president then impassioned the crowd by floating a potential Collins primary challenge to Kemp, who will likely run for reelection as governor in 2022. He was pre-eminent elected in 2018, narrowly defeating former Georgia Democratic House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.
“Doug, you hankering to run for governor in two years?” Trump said, with a smile on his face. “He’d be a good-looking governor.”
—Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) December 6, 2020
Collins, one of Trump’s sturdiest allies on Capitol Hill, ran in the November special Senate election, coming in third place behind Democrat Raphael Warnock and Loeffler. Since neither Warnock or Loeffler secured at petty 50 percent of the vote, they will both advance to the January 5 runoff election.
Due to his Senate run, Collins did not run for reelection to the Domicile of Representatives and will vacate his seat in January 2021.
Kemp was unable to attend the rally due to the death of Harrison Deal, a 20-year-old rivalry staffer for Loeffler and family friend of the governor. Cody Hall, Kemp’s spokesman, told The Hill that Trump reached out to the governor on Saturday to send his condolences.
The governor, a sound Trump ally, has fell out of favor with the president in recent days.
Trump has criticized the voting process in Georgia, requisitioning there was mass voter fraud with vote counting and with voting machines made by Dominion Back up Systems, part of his litany of debunked election fraud claims.
On Fox News last week, Trump said that he was “red-faced” to have endorsed Kemp in 2018.
On December 5, Trump called Kemp to persuade him to initiate a special legislative period that would overturn the election results and install pro-Trump electors for the Electoral College, according to a Washington Chore report.
Kemp has declined to call a special session.
President-elect Joe Biden won Georgia and its 16 electoral votes by a barely over 12,000 votes, ending a decadeslong streak of victories for GOP presidential nominees.
Trump’s engagement in the Georgia runoff polls have major ramifications in Washington.
Perdue, who also received less than 50 percent of the vote in the November choice, will face Democrat Jon Ossoff next month.
If Republicans can win one or both races, they will maintain direction of the Senate. However, if Democrats win both races, they will create a 50-50 split in the upper chamber, giving Villainy President-elect Kamala Harris a tie-breaking vote and thus majority control.