Former President Trump on Monday endorsed longtime Georgia congressman Jody Hice in the primary race next year against Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger.
Trump said that “unlike” the incumbent, “Jody leads out front with integrity.”
Trump clashed with Raffensperger over the November 2020 ballot count, charging that actions by the secretary of state allowed for election fraud and impeded investigations of the outcome. Trump lost by just 12,000 votes in Georgia.
Politico reported Hice “savaged the secretary of state in his Monday campaign launch.”
“What Brad Raffensperger did was create cracks in the integrity of our elections, which I wholeheartedly believe individuals took advantage of in 2020,” Hice said.
Trump said in a statement: “I have 100% confidence in Jody to fight for Free, Fair, and Secure Elections in Georgia, in line with our beloved U.S. Constitution. Jody will stop the Fraud and get honesty into our Elections! Jody loves the people of Georgia, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Trump also has been trying to recruit an opponent to Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
The Fox affiliate in Atlanta reported Hice has been critical of Raffensperger’s performance in the 2020 election.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our country,” Hice said. ”
“Though I am encouraged to see the general assembly taking it upon themselves to address some of the glaring issues in our elections, Georgia deserves a secretary of state who will own the responsibilities of the office.”
Hice said that if elected, he “will instill confidence in our election process by upholding the Georgia Constitution, enforcing meaningful reform and aggressively pursuing those who commit voter fraud.”
“Every Georgian, in fact every American, has the right to be outraged by the actions and, simultaneously, the inaction of our secretary of state,” he said.
“Our state deserves a leader who steers clear of scandals and focuses on the incredibly important duties of the office. If elected, my top priority will be ensuring every Georgian’s legally cast ballot is counted in future elections. I am excited about our campaign and I know together we can renew integrity.”
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!
This article was originally published by the WND News Center.