Also inside today’s Swing State Georgia:
Republicans hit by Trump still open to Trump’s endorsement.
Fake elector to help Herschel raise money.
GOP rivals bury the hatchet.
While Donald Trump may still grit his teeth when he hears the name of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, top Republicans in the U.S. Senate have decided to get off the sidelines and help the Georgia Governor take on Stacey Abrams in November.
It’s the second time this week that U.S. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell has stepped up to help Georgia Republicans - as we told you yesterday how McConnell was ready to raise money for Herschel Walker’s bid to win a seat in the Senate.
Now we can add that McConnell is also stepping up - where former President Donald Trump has not - to help Gov. Kemp win reelection.
McConnell is listed as a “special guest” for a Sept. 8 fundraiser at a Washington, D.C. event for Kemp - which will evidently feature 16 other Senate Republicans, including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska.
STORY LINES. There are so many conclusions to draw from this Kemp invitation.
Your Insiders must first observe that this type of U.S. Senate fundraising show of force for a sitting Governor is highly unusual - and really speaks to the importance of Georgia for Republicans in 2022.
Another point is while Republicans like to attack Democrats for raising money from outside of Georgia, Gov. Kemp has to search out new fundraising opportunities, simply because Stacey Abrams is once again bringing in big money to her campaign in Georgia.
We should also note how McConnell was a close ally of ex-Sen. David Perdue - who was recruited specifically by Donald Trump to defeat Gov. Kemp in the Georgia primary - but couldn’t even get to 22 percent in the final tally.
These GOP Senators - many of whom were also friends with Perdue - have decided they can’t ignore Kemp’s situation - even as Trump himself stays quiet about the Kemp-Abrams race.
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LISTEN UP: If it’s Wednesday, it’s time for the mid-week edition of the Politically Georgia podcast.
This week we look at Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock’s latest statewide swings; Stacey Abrams’ new sustainability proposal; and how Mitch McConnell is feeling about Georgia lately.
Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
TRUMP TALK. When Donald Trump put Gov. Brian Kemp at the top of his revenge list in a failed bid to oust the governor in Georgia’s May primary, the first-term Republican resisted the urge to hit back.
As November nears and a possible Trump comeback looms, Kemp and other GOP incumbents opposed by the former President are sticking to that familiar strategy.
They aren’t antagonizing him. They aren’t criticizing his rhetoric. And they aren’t closing the door on earning his endorsement – or on supporting him if he runs for another term in 2024.
Earlier today, we posted a longer story about how Kemp and other statewide incumbents who demolished Trump-backed challengers are still trying to steer clear of his wrath.
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