Brad Raffensperger became famous by defying Trump. Now he wants Georgia Republicans to forget that

CHAMBLEE, Ga. (AP) — He is also known as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Brad Raffensperger It would be the dream of many ambitious politicians.

“I think most people know who I am now,” the Republican gubernatorial candidate joked before speaking Tuesday in the Atlanta suburb of Chamblee, where someone held up signs with his name on them.

But that fame could hurt Raffensperger in next Tuesday’s primaries because We oppose Donald Trump’s initiatives It will overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. He was one of the few Georgia leaders to achieve this. Earned Trump’s disdain Despite rejecting his lies and Raffesperger winning re-election in 2022, many Republicans still view him as a traitor.

Now the 70-year-old is spending millions of his own money trying to reintroduce himself as he was before that moment.

“I think I really need to let people know that I’m actually a conservative Christian businessman,” Raffensperger told reporters recently. “If you haven’t noticed, that’s where I cut my teeth.”

It’s unclear whether Republican voters are willing to forgive Raffensperger’s political heresy in a party in thrall to Trump. He has faced threats over the years, and spokesman Ryan Mahoney said Raffensperger was made aware of a credible threat Monday when he began flying around the state during his campaign tour.

Mahoney said a sheriff’s office in Mississippi received a four-page document that included a picture of Raffensperger with the word “boom” written on his forehead. Law enforcement did not immediately confirm the investigation.

When authorities combed the Macon airport Tuesday ahead of Raffensperger’s arrival, a police dog found a suspicious object, prompting an evacuation. It wasn’t a bomb, and Raffensperger made his speech on the tarmac.

Raffensperger is trying to present himself as an alternative to Georgia voters wary of an expensive and ugly primary featuring Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and healthcare billionaire Rick JacksonThey spend huge amounts of money attacking each other.

A Raffensperger television commercial depicts Jones and Jackson firing their guns wildly into the air while Raffensperger carefully aims targets one by one. Another shows “creepy Rick Jackson” and “big baby Burt Jones” slinging mud at each other in the barn.

“All they talk about is each other and crushing each other,” Raffensperger said Tuesday. he said. “No one is talking about the most important person. And this is our Georgian friend.”

Trying to shed the baggage of 2020

Raffensperger’s chances of being nominated appear slim. Even if he qualifies for the June 16 runoff, the campaign could quickly devolve into a fight over which candidate is the most conservative; Raffensperger could then face even more serious attacks for disloyalty to Trump.

Because he was directly responsible for election administration as Secretary of State, Raffensperger became a punching bag for many Republicans, even some who were not Trump loyalists. His relations with Jones were particularly bad. 16 Georgia Republicans Those who declared themselves “duly elected and qualified” voters for Trump in 2020, even though Biden won the state.

Georgia Republican Party delegates Voted to ban in June Raffensperger backed out of running under the party’s banner, saying he was hostile to Trump, but the party qualified him anyway. Last month, a judge rejected an attempt by two voters to remove him from the primary ballot.

Raffensperger’s campaign estimates that one-fifth of the state’s Republican voters will never vote for him; this cast is described as “never Raffensperger”.

“Everybody knows there is voting fraud,” said Sabrina Mao, a Cobb County resident who joined Jones’ campaign in Smyrna on Tuesday.

“I don’t think he did anything good,” Mao said of Raffensperger. “He’s just a follower. I don’t think he’s a leader.”

Raffensperger is certainly a throwback to the old Republican Party. While other campaigns used loud country music and barbecue, Raffensperger’s first move was to give a speech to the Rotary Club.

It sold concrete reinforcement company Tendon Systems in 2023 for an undisclosed amount. By last week, Raffensperger had lent his campaign $6 million and spent or committed at least $4.2 million on advertising. This pales in comparison to Jackson and Jones, who self-financed their campaigns to unprecedented levels. While Jones lent his campaign $17 million, Jackson put a staggering $83 million into his campaign.

Raffensperger is running against Republican Attorney General alongside Jones and Jackson Chris CarrAppealing to many of the same voters as Raffensperger.

Former Atlanta Mayor among leading Democratic candidates Keisha Lance Bottomsstate sen. Jason Esteves and former state Labor Commissioner Mike Thurmond.

Geoff DuncanThe former Republican lieutenant governor, who also rejected Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, is also running as a Democrat.

Focus on work rather than choice

Raffensperger stands behind how Georgia’s elections were conducted, but quickly pivots to favored themes of creating high-paying jobs, lowering property taxes, improving school safety and supporting Trump’s efforts to increase manufacturing jobs.

“If you can create and build great-paying jobs for people, you can change their lives,” Raffensperger said last month, answering a reporter’s question about Georgia’s voting system.

He frequently portrays himself as standing against Democrats Stacey AbramsHe is a frequent critic of Republican election management, hoping to unite Republicans who disdain Abrams.

“Just as Joe Biden secured the border, Brad Raffensperger is securing Georgia’s election — and no amount of fake advertising can erase that record,” Jones’ campaign manager Kendyl Parker wrote in a letter to television stations on Tuesday, demanding that Raffensperger’s mixed ad, which also mentioned Abrams and Biden, be removed.

Among the supporters Raffensperger needs most are suburban voters who support conservatives but are wary of Trump. For example, many actors starred in 2022 Ballots for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp but I voted Democrat Raphael Warnock Because they were rejected by Herschel Walker, the GOP candidate for the Senate.

Katherine Weber of suburban Sandy Springs, for example, described herself as “Republican but not pro-Trump” after voting last month.

“I’m voting for Brad Raffensperger,” Weber said. “I think he’s an honest man and he’s not influenced by politics. He doesn’t do what Trump says.”