COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) – The Georgia Republican Party on Saturday elected to the Republican National Committee a conservative activist who helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rally that led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob.
Delegates to the convention in Columbus were divided, choosing Amy Kremer to fill one of the two RNC seats, but retaining incumbent committee member Jason Thompson.
Mr. Kramer and other challengers argued that Mr. Thompson and another incumbent, Ginger Howard, had not done enough to support Donald Trump. They say party activists continue to have a desire to confront internal and external enemies, even as much of the leadership preaches unity and seeks to ease the divisions that have alienated Republican Gov. Brian Kemp from the party organization. He pointed out that
“We need someone who is willing to stand up and fight,” Kremer told delegates. “If you want your voice to be heard at the grassroots, you need to vote for change.”
Kramer, who got his political start in the Tea Party movement, was not part of the mob that stormed the Capitol as Congress was meeting to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. But it was her group that secured permission for the “Save America” rally, where President Trump urged the crowd to “fight like hell.” She spoke at events and was one of the most active fundraisers for the “Stop the Steal” movement, which spread the lie that Biden’s victory was stolen.
Party leaders had recommended against Kremer’s selection, citing unpaid Federal Election Commission fines by Kremer and his affiliates.
Delegates reelected Thompson despite attacks that his wife and daughter work for Georgia’s secretary of state. He is Brad Raffensperger, the Republican campaign manager who defended Georgia’s 2020 election results in which Biden won the state’s 16 electoral votes. During the weekend’s tournament, Raffensperger was repeatedly compared to the devil.
Thompson fell short of a majority in the initial three-candidate race, but won in the runoff.
“We will stand together against the forces that seek to destroy America,” Thompson told delegates. “Together, we will win Georgia for President Trump.”
Most speakers called on Republicans to heal divisions within the party, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an unlikely messenger of Republican unity.
Greene, who was reprimanded by other Republicans for failing to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, told attendees at a party breakfast on Saturday that “some debate within the Republican Party is fine, but these divisions… It needs to stop now,” he said.
“If we’re too fractured, we can’t work together to hit a home run in November,” Green said. “And that’s going to be a problem. If we stray too far in different directions and don’t work together, we won’t be able to hit a home run in November.”
But Greene was speaking at the convention, which was again skipped by Gov. Brian Kemp, who set up fundraising and political maneuvering for her rival after President Trump attacked Greene for endorsing the 2020 election results. . The rift deepened after some party leaders backed former Sen. David Perdue’s unsuccessful challenge to Kemp in 2022, backed by President Trump.
There were some signs of unity. Two Kemp allies, Insurance Secretary John King and Kemp’s 2018 campaign manager, state Rep. Tim Fleming, spoke at the convention. So did more state legislators than last year. Josh McCoon, a former state senator and party chairman, said it was part of an effort to fuse the party.
“That’s another thing we’ve been working on: our relationship with our elected officials and getting everyone back to the table,” McCune said.
Republicans have repeatedly said they believe inflation and immigration are issues that can garner support from those who didn’t vote in 2020 and those who voted for Biden. Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson brandished his wallet during a speech Friday, telling delegates how to reach undecided voters.
“Don’t blame them for abortions. Don’t blame them for things that probably have nothing to do with it,” Thompson said. “Confront them with what really matters, and it’s here. This concerns every American. It’s their pocketbook.”
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