Republican officials are playing hardball against GOP Rep. Doug Collins in Georgia Senate race
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
The Republican Party did not respond positively to Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) waging a primary challenge against Sen. Kelly Laoeffler (R-Ga.), who was appointed to the seat by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) last December and has to defend it in a special election in November. Now, the National Republican Campaign Committee, the Senate GOP's campaign arm, has formally asked vendors to stop working for Collins and against Loeffler, and multiple vendors have quit the Colllins campaign, Politico reported Wednesday.
Collins took the defections in stride. "Instead of a bunch of suits like the cast of Law & Order" working for the campaign, his spokesman told Politico, Collins will run with a "colorful cast of characters who all have an aversion to authority."
Loeffler certainly has powerful friends in her bid to fend off Collins' right-flank challenge. The Club for Growth has put $3 million into TV and digital ads targeting Collins most recently as a fiscal spendthrift. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a prominent Georgia Republican, endorsed Loeffler on Tuesday, calling her "exactly the type of political outsider we need in Washington" and a "strong supporter of President Trump."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The big endorsement is Trump's, though, and so far he has remained neutral. Last week, Trump appeared to offer a compromise between Loeffler, whose appointment he opposed, and Collins, who he called "an unbelievable friend of mine and spokesman — and somebody that I really like." Trump told Loeffler at a White House ceremony that she's "going to end up liking [Collins] a lot," adding, "Something's going to happen that's going to be very good. I don't know; I haven't figured it out yet." Both campaigns told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution they viewed that as supportive from Trump.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
