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Trump invests $500,000 in bid to unseat Georgia Gov. Kemp: Report

Donald Trump President Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP)

Trump invests $500,000 in bid to unseat Georgia Gov. Kemp: Report

Cami Mondeaux

April 13, 05:39 PM April 13, 05:39 PM

Former President Donald Trump has entered the ring of the Georgia governor’s race, throwing a large sum of money toward efforts to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp, marking the former president’s first major financial investment in a midterm election race.

Trump’s Save America PAC has invested $500,000 into a state super PAC dedicated to ousting the incumbent, who resisted Trump’s overtures to try and overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, according to a report by Politico. The money will go toward boosting Trump-endorsed candidate David Perdue, a former U.S. senator who has lagged behind Kemp in both polling and fundraising.

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“President Trump is committed to supporting his endorsed candidates across the nation, but we won’t be telegraphing our efforts to the media,” Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said in a statement.

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Kemp has long been a target of Trump for certifying now-President Joe Biden’s win in the Peach State. Still, the former president previously acknowledged in an interview it would be “very hard to beat” the Georgia governor.

Trump’s PAC has stockpiled more than $110 million in its massive war chest. The former president has previously allocated smaller donations to favored candidates, but this investment in Perdue’s campaign marks the first time he has invested a large sum intended to bolster a candidate significantly.

It’s possible he will turn his focus to the Wyoming House race next, where Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the former president’s harshest critics within the GOP, is facing off against Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman.

Cheney has fared well so far despite attacks from Trump, reporting nearly $3 million in fundraising during the first quarter of this year — setting another personal fundraising record as she seeks reelection.

Trump has expressed concern about Perdue’s chances of unseating Kemp in private meetings with his inner circle, sources familiar with the situation told Politico. However, his investment in the Get Georgia Right PAC on March 25 has gone toward running anti-Kemp ads throughout the state emphasizing how the incumbent “dismissed concerns about voter fraud in the 2020 election.”

“President Trump has demonstrated a strong interest in making sure the truth emerges about what happened in Georgia. He has also stated that the best way to solve this problem is electing people who acknowledge it and are committed to improving election integrity,” Jessica Freese, a Get Georgia Right spokeswoman, told the outlet.

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Kemp has held a commanding lead over Purdue, with a Fox News poll in March finding 50% support for the incumbent compared to 39% for the former senator. The governor has also benefited from the Republican Governors Association, which has aired several ads in support of his reelection.

The Republican primary for the Georgia governor’s race is set for May 24, and the Trump team is pushing to ensure Kemp receives less than 50% of the vote to trigger a runoff election. However, this may prove to be difficult, as there are three other lower-profile GOP candidates who risk splitting the vote.

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Donald Trump President Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP)

Trump invests $500,000 in bid to unseat Georgia Gov. Kemp: Report

Cami Mondeaux

April 13, 05:39 PM April 13, 05:39 PM

Former President Donald Trump has entered the ring of the Georgia governor’s race, throwing a large sum of money toward efforts to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp, marking the former president’s first major financial investment in a midterm election race.

Trump’s Save America PAC has invested $500,000 into a state super PAC dedicated to ousting the incumbent, who resisted Trump’s overtures to try and overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, according to a report by Politico. The money will go toward boosting Trump-endorsed candidate David Perdue, a former U.S. senator who has lagged behind Kemp in both polling and fundraising.

Video Embed

“President Trump is committed to supporting his endorsed candidates across the nation, but we won’t be telegraphing our efforts to the media,” Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said in a statement.

NEW YORK LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR RESIGNS FOLLOWING ARREST

Kemp has long been a target of Trump for certifying now-President Joe Biden’s win in the Peach State. Still, the former president previously acknowledged in an interview it would be “very hard to beat” the Georgia governor.

Trump’s PAC has stockpiled more than $110 million in its massive war chest. The former president has previously allocated smaller donations to favored candidates, but this investment in Perdue’s campaign marks the first time he has invested a large sum intended to bolster a candidate significantly.

It’s possible he will turn his focus to the Wyoming House race next, where Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the former president’s harshest critics within the GOP, is facing off against Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman.

Cheney has fared well so far despite attacks from Trump, reporting nearly $3 million in fundraising during the first quarter of this year — setting another personal fundraising record as she seeks reelection.

Trump has expressed concern about Perdue’s chances of unseating Kemp in private meetings with his inner circle, sources familiar with the situation told Politico. However, his investment in the Get Georgia Right PAC on March 25 has gone toward running anti-Kemp ads throughout the state emphasizing how the incumbent “dismissed concerns about voter fraud in the 2020 election.”

“President Trump has demonstrated a strong interest in making sure the truth emerges about what happened in Georgia. He has also stated that the best way to solve this problem is electing people who acknowledge it and are committed to improving election integrity,” Jessica Freese, a Get Georgia Right spokeswoman, told the outlet.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Kemp has held a commanding lead over Purdue, with a Fox News poll in March finding 50% support for the incumbent compared to 39% for the former senator. The governor has also benefited from the Republican Governors Association, which has aired several ads in support of his reelection.

The Republican primary for the Georgia governor’s race is set for May 24, and the Trump team is pushing to ensure Kemp receives less than 50% of the vote to trigger a runoff election. However, this may prove to be difficult, as there are three other lower-profile GOP candidates who risk splitting the vote.

© 2022 Washington Examiner