By Canadian Press

Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger beats Trump ally

May 24, 2022 | 11:09 PM

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was a top target of former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary as he seeks reelection.

Raffensperger beat three challengers, including Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who had criticized his handling of the 2020 election.

Raffensperger was among Trump’s chief targets when the former president turned his wrath on top Georgia officials for not taking steps to overturn his narrow election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the state. Trump insisted without proof that victory had been stolen from him through widespread voter fraud.

In a now-notorious January 2021 phone call, Trump suggested Raffensperger could “find” enough votes to overturn President Biden’s victory. That led a prosecutor in Atlanta to open an investigation into whether Trump and others tried to illegally influence the state’s election. That investigation is ongoing.

Hice has fully embraced Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and objected to Georgia’s electoral votes being counted for Biden. State and federal officials, including Trump’s own attorney general, have said there was no evidence of widespread fraud. The votes in Georgia’s presidential election were counted three times, and each tally confirmed Biden’s victory.

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All three challengers in the GOP primary — Hice, former Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle and former probate and magistrate judge T.J. Hudson — have criticized Raffensperger’s handling of the 2020 election, saying he caused Georgians to lose confidence in the system.

Raffensperger has punched back, staunchly defending his record and insisting that Georgia’s elections are fair and secure. He also made prohibiting noncitizens from voting — a platform popular with conservative Republicans that is already enshrined in Georgia law — a centerpiece of his reelection campaign.

Trump’s obsession with his election loss and his unproven claims of widespread fraud have put a spotlight on down-ballot secretary of state races around the country.

On the Democratic side, five candidates are fighting for their party’s nomination. All of them have championed voting rights and criticized a sweeping election law passed by Republicans in the General Assembly in 2021 that shortened the period to request an absentee ballot, added an ID requirement, restricted drop boxes, and stripped the secretary of state of his seat on the State Election Board, among other things.

State Rep. Bee Nguyen, who occupies the seat formerly held by Democratic gubernatorial candidate and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, leads the group in fundraising and has snagged some significant endorsements. The other candidates are: Floyd Griffin, a state senator and former mayor of the city of Milledgeville; Michael Owens, former Cobb County Democratic Party chairman; John Eaves, former Fulton County Commission chairman; and Dee Dawkins-Haigler, a former state representative from DeKalb County.

Kate Brumback, The Associated Press