Donald Trump’s indictment has reignited infighting among Georgia Republicans, stoking fears within the party that the division may tip the state to Joe Biden in 2024.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s expansive racketeering case, which alleges that Trump and his allies ran a criminal enterprise seeking to seize a presidential term, has shown that the Trump loyalists and the increasingly vocal “let’s move on” faction are still worlds apart.
Some in the Trump wing have responded to the indictment by calling for a special session of the state legislature to investigate Willis, a Democrat. The other side of the party, including Trump nemesis Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, hasn’t backed Willis’s probe but has called for the party to move on from relitigating 2020.
The divergent visions for the party put it at a disadvantage on messaging, fundraising and organization ahead of 2024, calling into question Republicans’ ability to win over voters in a battleground state Trump narrowly lost to President Biden in 2020. State parties typically play a prominent role in helping recruit, support and promote candidates to ensure their political party can win as many local, state and national elections as possible. Many of the newer, Trump-aligned leaders come from grassroots backgrounds with less extensive experience in areas such as fundraising and coalition building.
One longtime Republican activist in the state had one word to describe the mood of party leaders and activists following the indictment: “turmoil.”
Some Georgia Republicans worry their own drama will hand the Democrats a victory.