Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Slams Criticism From GOP Senators

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 06: Georgia Secretary of State Ben Raffensperger holds a press conference on the status of ballot counting on November 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2020 presidential race between incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is still too close to call with outstanding ballots in a number of states including Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 06: Georgia Secretary of State Ben Raffensperger holds a press conference on the status of ballot counting on November 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2020 presidential race between incumbent ... ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 06: Georgia Secretary of State Ben Raffensperger holds a press conference on the status of ballot counting on November 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2020 presidential race between incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is still too close to call with outstanding ballots in a number of states including Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Georgia’s top elections official, a Republican, dismissed a call to resign from Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) on Monday, telling them in no uncertain terms to focus on their own upcoming races for reelection. 

“Earlier today Senators Loeffler and Perdue called for my resignation,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said at the top of a lengthy statement. “Let me start by saying that is not going to happen.” 

What followed was an aggressive response to the paragraph-long criticism from the Georgia Republicans. Both senators are up for reelection in two Jan. 5 runoff contests that could determine the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate. 

The senators said “the management of Georgia elections has become an embarrassment for our state.” They accused Raffensperger of “failures” but offered no specifics, other than unexplained concerns about “mismanagement and lack of transparency.” 

Raffensperger, whose office has held regular press conferences and released information daily on the ballot-counting process, wasn’t having it. 

“I know emotions are running high,” he said. “Politics are involved in everything right now. If I was Senator Perdue, I’d be irritated I was in a runoff. And both Senators and I are all unhappy with the potential outcome for our President.” 

That appeared to be a reference to the narrow margin by which Perdue failed to win his race: The Republican has received 49.7% of the vote in his race against Democrat Jon Ossoff with 99% of expected ballots tallied, according to the Associated Press. Because that falls just shy of the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff, the pair will compete in a runoff election in January. Loeffler also failed to clear the 50% threshold and will face off against Democrat Raphael Warnock in January. The results of the races could determine the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate. 

Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by more than 11,000 votes in the state, but no major networks have called the state yet for either candidate. 

Raffensperger was hardly non-partisan in his statement: He referred to Fulton County, where an investigation into a minor reporting error is ongoing, as “one of our longtime problem Democrat-run counties.” 

Separately, the secretary said he was “sure” there had been illegal voting, though he offered no evidence to back up the claim. 

“Was there illegal voting? I am sure there was,” Raffensperger wrote. “And my office is investigating all of it.” 

“Does it rise to the numbers or margin necessary to change the outcome to where President Trump is given Georgia’s electoral votes? That is unlikely,” he added. 

The Republican closed his remarks with a jab at Loeffler and Perdue. 

“My job is to follow Georgia law and see to it that all legal votes, and no illegal votes, are counted properly and accurately,” he wrote. “As Secretary of State, that is my duty, and I will continue to do my duty. As a Republican, I am concerned about Republicans keeping the U.S. Senate. I recommend that Senators Loeffler and Perdue start focusing on that.”

Tierney Sneed contributed reporting.

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Notable Replies

  1. I love the fact that watching intra-party cannibalism is free. It’d suck if it were a pay-per-view spectacle.

  2. I’m fine with a completely partisan hack in an office that oversees elections as long as they follow the law and make sure the election is run fairly, honestly, and without interference or cheating. It looks like Raffensperger is doing that, and good for him for doing so. Hopefully he keeps it up, and doesn’t fall for the temptation to help Perdue and Loeffler…this may just sabotage any hope they had for him to put his thumb on the scale for him. He’s still a Republican hack, hopefully he loses in his next election, but if he continues to follow the law and principles of elections in the US he’s doing what he should be doing and it’s a good thing.

    Too bad so many other Republicans right now are being such sore losers and trying to overturn the results of the election (at least the parts of it they lost). I’m in Judy Chu’s district, she won about 73% of the vote, and her Republican opponent has said he will refuse to concede…it’s just nonsense they are acting this way, and unhealthy for the nation.

  3. The old GOP is too left for the Tea Party, and the Tea Party is inadequately loony for QAnon. I’m beginning to feel that if I will be disappointed if the GOP splits into two bloody, Game of Thrones style factions. Three is possible! Imagine the additional potential for carnage!

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