{"id":2247722,"date":"2024-05-18T19:57:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T23:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-not-quite-united-georgia-republican-party-rallies-behind-trump\/"},"modified":"2024-05-18T19:59:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T23:59:56","slug":"a-not-quite-united-georgia-republican-party-rallies-behind-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-not-quite-united-georgia-republican-party-rallies-behind-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia&#8217;s Republican Party, with lingering divisions, unites in support of Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-not-quite-united-georgia-republican-party-rallies-behind-trump%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2247722&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Georgia state GOP\u200d convention in Columbus witnessed unity in support of former President Trump&#8217;s return to the White House, although delegates held differing visions for the party. The event highlighted divisions between establishment and grassroots factions, with ongoing tensions between Gov. Kemp\u200d and Trump. The convention aimed for victory through unity, emphasizing the need to expand voter outreach. Biden&#8217;s \u200dpresence in Atlanta added a \u2064contrasting perspective to\u2064 the Republican gathering.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>COLUMBUS, Georgia \u2014<\/strong> Speakers at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Georgia\">Georgia<\/a> state GOP convention all agreed that they\u2019re ready to send former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> back to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Georgia\">White House<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>They did not always agree on everything else. <\/p>\n<p>Thousands of delegates packed into the Columbus Ironworks for speeches and fanfare Friday and Saturday, cheering for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/regent-university-to-host-important-election-integrity-conference-march-23rd-with-michele-bachmann-dr-ben-carson-mark-steyn-kris-kobach-jay-ashcroft-eric-metaxas-and-jim-and\/\" title=\"Regent University to Host Important Election Integrity Conference \u2013 March 23rd \u2013 With Michele Bachmann, Dr. Ben Carson, Mark Steyn, Kris Kobach, Jay Ashcroft, Eric Metaxas and Jim and Joe Hoft\">speakers including<\/a> former Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3008454\/georgia-republicans-plot-2024-comeback-black-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kelly Loeffler\">Kelly Loeffler<\/a>, Georgia Lt. Gov Burt Jones, and firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) as they hope to get the Peach State back into the red column.<\/p>\n<p>But according to some attendees, the delegates themselves broke down into two groups with different visions for the GOP. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a battle between the establishment and the grassroots patriots,\u201d said James Abely, a delegate from Glenn County, near Savannah. \u201cMy argument is: You cannot simultaneously back Gov. [Brian] Kemp (R-GA) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>. Because they hate each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kemp was absent from the proceedings, though Trump was also missing after he made an appearance at the 2023 edition. After battling for much of 2021 and 2022, the two have formed an uneasy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/analysis-once-enemies-kemp-and-trump-find-common-cause-in-2024\/D2LGELMQ3FFZNCJ7CRIXBD6ONQ\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"truce\">truce<\/a> to try to turn Georgia red again this fall, but there are cracks in the alliance. <\/p>\n<p>Kemp\u2019s wife, Marty, said last month that she would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/podcasts\/political-breakfast\/georgia-first-lady-marty-kemp-says-shed-write-governor-brian-kemps-name-in-for-the-gop-nominee-in-november\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"write in\">write in<\/a> her husband\u2019s name on her ballot, while former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who appeared on the same winning ticket with Kemp in 2018, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2993438\/former-georgia-republican-lieutenant-governor-backs-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"backing\">backing<\/a> President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"write in\">Joe Biden<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis November, I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass,\u201d Duncan wrote.<\/p>\n<p>If Duncan has a constituency within the GOP in Georgia, it was not found on the convention floor in Columbus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI certainly feel like everybody is united behind Trump,\u201d Georgia state GOP Chairman Josh McKoon told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> ahead of the proceedings. \u201cWe have a united crowd around electing him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The convention theme was \u201cVictory in Unity,\u201d and speakers repeatedly referenced the need to unify and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3008454\/georgia-republicans-plot-2024-comeback-black-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"expand the tent\">expand the tent<\/a> to beat Biden.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica\u2019s allies are hurting, and our president and our Democratic senators aren\u2019t standing with them,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3008454\/georgia-republicans-plot-2024-comeback-black-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Loeffler said\">Loeffler said<\/a> during a session largely focused on reaching black voters. \u201cYet every blue-haired they\/them on campus who gets thrown in jail is immediately bailed out, while our Jan. 6 protesters are locked up year after year after year. This is the two-tiered system of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yet as the convention unfolded, Biden was just 100 miles away in Atlanta, meeting with groups of black voters before a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dwyane-wade-talks-about-opportunity-to-buy-ownership-stake-in-utah-jazz\/\" title=\"Dwyane Wade Talks About \u2018Opportunity\u2019 To Buy Ownership Stake In Utah Jazz\">graduation speech<\/a> at the all-black, all-male Morehouse College on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeorgia is the reason I\u2019m president of the United States,\u201d Biden said during an Atlanta campaign reception Saturday afternoon. \u201cYou\u2019re the reason we were able to defeat the former president, and you\u2019re the reason we\u2019re going to beat him again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Columbus, the election of delegates and chairperson to the Republican National Convention featured several contested elections, with self-described grassroots figures looking to oust delegates chosen by the nominations committee.<\/p>\n<p>One member of the initial slate of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nevada-oks-bill-in-try-for-1st-presidential-nominating-state\/\" title=\"Nevada OKs Bill in Try for 1st Presidential Nominating State\">national delegates<\/a>, John Garst, pulled out \u201cin the interest of party unity\u201d after he was challenged on the floor by someone who described him as \u201cthe former Dominion Voting Systems lobbyist John Garst.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a similar vein, there were resolutions <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bluestein\/status\/1791605617968206053\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"bashing\">criticizing<\/a> Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was reelected less than two years ago, over voting integrity, in addition to a spirited debate over whether to use electronic or paper ballots to elect the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-conservatives-cant-get-good-laws-how-can-they-run-an-article-v-convention\/\" title=\"If Conservatives Can\u2019t Get Good Laws, How Can They Run An Article V Convention?\">convention delegates<\/a>. Electronic voting emerged as the winner.<\/p>\n<p>Many members of the original slate of nominees survived their challenges, including Committeeman Jason Thompson, who beat two challenges. But Committeewoman Ginger Howard lost her reelection bid in the day\u2019s last election to Amy Kremer, who made much in her nominating speech of being a grassroots candidate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is it the grassroots that\u2019s doing all the work while everybody else is at the cocktail parties?\u201d Kremer asked. \u201cIf you want the representation to be for the grassroots and for the grassroots to have a choice, then you need to vote for change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the end, change did come, as Kremer narrowly defeated Howard on the final ballot. Whether that success translates into a win for Trump this fall or leads to a continuation of Georgia\u2019s recent purple trend remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Greene referenced some of the divisions, both in Georgia and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3007998\/speaker-johnson-chaotic-garland-contempt-hearing-regrettable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"in Washington\">in Washington<\/a>, during her breakfast session speech Saturday morning, saying they can be a force for good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI might be known for fighting with Republicans every now and then, and that\u2019s what the state GOP convention is about, right?\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s going to kind of brawl it out on the issues that we\u2019re fighting for here in our state. Unfortunately, it has to happen. But I\u2019ve got to tell you guys: Iron sharpens iron. There\u2019s nothing wrong with a little bit of arguing in the Republican Party. Because we need to make the Republican Party the America First party.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the Georgia state GOP convention in Columbus, speakers unanimously endorse sending former President Trump back to the White House. Despite differing views on other matters, thousands of delegates gathered at the Columbus Ironworks, energized by speeches from prominent figures, including former Sen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2247723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP18243606869647.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2247722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP18243606869647.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2247722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2247722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2247722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2247722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}