It seems all is not well amongst Republicans when it comes to choosing who will be the GOP nominee for Senate next year. Gov. Brian Kemp was strongly courted by the WH and Senate GOP leaders to run for the seat. In fact, early polling suggested he had a lead over Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. However Kemp chose not to run, probably because he has larger ambitions I’ll talk about. However he might be sabotaging them because he’s pushing an outsider candidate instead of one of the more logical options available to the GOP. And, as the headline indicated it’s blowing up into a “Dumpster Fire.”
When I scan news outlets The Washington Examiner isn’t on my usual list as it’s a conservative paper. Still, like sometimes watching Fox News or as at least one staff writer here on PZ does logging on to Truth Social it’s important to see what’s being said in places we’d rather not spend time in. Their story on the Georgia Senate race and the food fight that’s developed over who will take on Ossoff is worth your time to read. The gist of it is that the tenuous “peace” between Trump and Kemp seems to have dissolved.
Trump has been ticked off at Kemp for years. Yes, Kemp acted unethically and in some ways arguably illegally in purging voters to become Governor in the first place. (He was Secretary of State when he first defeated Stacey Abrams by a narrow margin. He should have recused himself but didn’t. That’s an entirely different subject I won’t go into here. What matters is that Trump knew Kemp wasn’t above engaging in sleaze and outright cheating to achieve political goals. That’s why he was (and still is) so pissed at Kemp. Kemp wouldn’t break the law for him to deliver Georgia’s Electoral Votes in 2020.
Somehow, since Georgia has been on Trump’s mind (pun intended) Trump managed to forge a fragile peace with Kemp. It wasn’t helped by Trump pushing Herschel Walker against Raphael Warnock and Kemp not being anywhere enthusiastic as Trump on Walker’s behalf. The thing is, Trump needed Georgia’s electoral votes to flip back his way. Kemp I figure decided to look at the long term and helped make that happen. Just not with the vigor Trump wanted which is why the peace, or at least lack of open warfare between them has gone on.
Now however it’s all breaking down. Since Kemp had a good chance of winning that Senate seat Trump was likely ticked off when told Kemp was passing on a run. Trumpty probably has enough working brain cells to realize Kemp is biding his time for an even higher office and trying to stay out of Trump/MAGA political messes. Trump wasn’t thrilled but as the linked article indicates could live with an arrangement where Kemp would work with him and Senate leaders to beat Ossoff:
Kemp was widely viewed as Republicans’ strongest contender to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), but Kemp chose not to run. According to sources, the governor and Trump’s team had quietly reached an understanding by working together to identify a viable candidate.
However, that understanding unraveled when Kemp began pushing behind the scenes for former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, a longtime family friend with no political experience, blindsiding Trump allies and bypassing more established contenders.
The article goes on to cite an Atlanta based GOP operative saying there’s been virtually no coordination between the WH political operation and Kemp’s down in Georgia. The operative goes on to say Kemp has plain gone off on his own. Now, you might say ‘that’s just one guy’ but the article goes on to say this:
Multiple sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner that Kemp has been urging Dooley to run and quietly helping him lay the groundwork for a potential campaign. The governor also informed Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Insurance Commissioner John King, and Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who officially entered the race this week, that he would not support their bids. King exited the race last week following a meeting with Kemp.
I urge you to read the linked article. Yes, it’s a bit dense but this outlet is pretty well plugged in to conservative goings on in DC and for that matter elsewhere. Kemp going off the reservation (he was barely on it!) is creating the kind of backlash with Team Trump you’d expect. Things are getting ugly and for more than one reason. It’s not just that Dooley has never held political office. It’s that some of those who might be part of his team are perceived as “Never Trumpers” which means there’s a good chance Looney Laura Loomer will get involved soon and turn this into the Animal House food fight. Let’s hope that’s exactly what happens.
For all the potential spectacle however what matters is that it’s GOP infighting in an election that promises to be close. A less than fully united GOP in Georgia could well be enough for Ossoff to keep his seat. What I find weird is that Kemp has chosen to do what he’s doing. I’ve long felt (and said so here on Politizoom) that Kemp has been trying to set himself up for a Presidential run. Yes, MAGA anger at him not “delivering” for Trump in 2020 is still there but Kemp seems to have weathered the worst of it. He’s been well enough like in Georgia and that state is no longer a political backwater. He’s not John Kasich, but when he wants to Kemp can come across as reasonable and practical. Enough so to disguise just how extreme his views are. I sometimes wonder if he’s chatted with Kasich in recent years.
Kemp has worked awfully hard to not get cut up too much dancing along the edge of the Trump/MAGA razor blade. So why is he now openly defying Trump? If Dooley does run in the primary it will likely be a GOP sh*t-show. Worse, if all that mess leads to a fractured GOP and Ossoff wins again it won’t just be hard core MAGAs that will be pissed. Especially if Democrats pull off retaking the Senate. That once seemed like a pipe dream. It’s still not likely but the odds have improved and if a single seat puts Democrats in control you can be sure Kemp will get the blame from other candidates.
Collins has the inside track and is racking up endorsements. It appears the Georgia GOP has been falling into line for Collins. It’s safe to assume Trump will anoint him. The linked article (again, it’s worth your time to read) explores the pros and cons for Kemp. It even notes one operative saying when it comes to Georgia politics it’s Trump who should be listening to Kemp and not the other way around. That operative goes as far as to pointedly note the fact that Trump has gotten into the middle of five straight Georgia Senate races and his candidate has lost every time! Ouch. Still, this seems to me a baffling hill for Kemp to climb and perhaps wind up dying politically on.
If Kemp is as I believe intending to portray himself to Independents and old-school Republicans as the “move on from Trump” candidate the GOP Presidential primaries will be ugly. Or would have been if Kemp hadn’t blown it by pushing his friend to run for that Senate seat. From where I sit the smart play would have been what he did in 2024, make the minimum of approving statements but for the most part stayed the hell out of things.
Instead he’s tossed a turd into the punchbowl and if the situation is already becoming publicly called a dumpster fire it’s bound to get worse. That of course is good for Democrats, and frankly the country. Better still as I’ve noted the effects could carry over to 2028. Effects that won’t be helpful to the GOP. So keep an eye on this. It could turn out to be a very big deal and in more than one way.
**********
Zoomers, if you can spare some change to keep the Little Political Blog That Could trekking through cyberspace, we appreciate it. This has been a dim and grim year compared to others before it. All we’re trying to do is survive until things get better. Thank you. Ursula
