Georgia Republicans privately wonder if anti-Trump suburbanites will help them in the Senate runoffs


One of the reasons frequently offered for why Senate Republicans are humoring President Trump's baseless election fraud claims and refusal to concede his loss to President-elect Joe Biden is that they need his voters to turn out for twin Jan. 5 special Senate elections in Georgia. And in fact, the two GOP incumbents in the races, Sen. David Perdue (R) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R), are strongly embracing Trump's election conspiracy theories, going so far as to attack Georgia's Republican secretary of state.
But privately, Loeffler and Perdue say Trump is a double-edged sword, target="_blank">The Washington Post reports, citing a Nov. 10 phone call with donors and GOP operative Karl Rove, who is raising money for the joint election effort. Perdue said he and Loeffler need to turn out the Trump-GOP base again but also win over "people that may have voted for Biden but now may come back and vote for us because there was an anti-Trump vote in Georgia," the Post recounts. "And we think some of those people, particularly in the suburbs, may come back to us. And I'm hopeful of that."
In fact, Biden won Georgia thanks to huge gains in the Atlanta suburbs that offset a decline in the Black share of the electorate, Nate Cohn explains at The New York Times, noting that while Black turnout was up, it was overtaken by a larger spike in non-Black votes.
Subscribe to 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.
All four runoff candidates — Perdue, Loeffler, and Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Rafael Warnock — "are seeking to nationalize the contests and focus their messaging on the impact that victories could have for each side," notably which party controls the Senate, target="_blank">the Post reports. "Perdue's delicate approach — standing with Trump, but also privately acknowledging that the president's time in power could be waning and that he carries possible political liabilities" — contrasted Ossoff's strategy, evident in a Biden-embracing ad he released Tuesday.
"Look, the only way to beat this virus is to give our new president the chance to succeed," Ossoff says in the ad. "But David Perdue says he'll do everything in his power to make sure Joe Biden fails, just like he tried to do with President Obama."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
David Attenborough at 99: a 'radical' voice for climate action
In The Spotlight In his new film 'Ocean', TV's best-known naturalist delivers his strongest message yet
-
The Four Seasons: 'moving and funny' show stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey
The Week Recommends Netflix series follows three affluent mid-50s couples on a mini-break and the drama that ensues
-
Thunderbolts*: Florence Pugh stars in 'super-silly' yet 'terrific' film
The Week Recommends This is a Marvel movie with a difference, featuring an 'ill-matched squad of antiheroes'
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Putin talks nukes as Kyiv slated for US air defenses
speed read 'I hope they will not be required,' Putin said of nuclear weapons on Russian state TV
-
US, Ukraine sign joint minerals deal
speed read The Trump administration signed a deal with Ukraine giving the US access to its mineral wealth
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Israel launches air strike on Beirut suburbs
Speed Read The attack targeting Hezbollah was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since November's ceasefire
-
Dozens dead in Kashmir as terrorists target tourists
Speed Read Visitors were taking pictures and riding ponies in a popular mountain town when assailants open fired, killing at least 26
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medics
speed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces