Donald Trump blasts ‘RINO’ governors backing incumbent Brian Kemp in Georgia

Former President Donald Trump delivered a Wednesday broadside against Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia for his plans to campaign with current and former Republican governors, dismissing them all as ‘Republicans in name only.’

The Republican primary, on May 24, has turned increasingly bitter as Trump seeks revenge against a governor who refused to go along with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

But Trump’s primary pick, former Sen. David Perdue, is struggling in a contest that has become a proxy battle for the former president with the GOP establishment. 

Trump weighed in with statement blasting Kemp and saying that a victory for him would be a blow to ‘election integrity.’    

‘Today, the worst “election integrity” governor in the country, Brian Kemp, loaded the great state of Georgia up with RINOs,’ he said in an emailed statement. 

‘That’s right, he had them all. 

‘Chris Christie, Doug Ducey from Arizona, and Pete Ricketts from Nebraska. 

‘That tells you all you need to know about what you are getting in Georgia — just a continuation of bad elections and a real RINO if you vote for Brian Kemp.’

Former President Donald Trump is intent on bringing down Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia after he ignored pleas to overturn the 2020 election result in his state

Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is among the figures campaigning for Kemp

Chris Christie was an adviser to Trump during the 2020 campaign but has spoken out against the former president for insisting the election was stolen

Trump is intent on helping oust Kemp after the governor refused to overturn his defeat in the state in 2020.

However, the latest polls show Kemp on about 53 to 54 percent of support, comfortably ahead of Perdue on anything from 31 to 38 percent.

The race has seen Republicans from the establishment wing backing Kemp, while Trump loyalists have lined up to back the challenger.

Kemp has won the backing of the National Rifle Association and former President George W. Bush.  

The Republican Governors Association has also bolstered his campaign, dropping millions of dollars in the state big, including TV ad buys.

And its co-chairs Ricketts and Ducey are expected to travel around the state to give Kemp a push.

Former New Jersey Governor Christie will also lend his support, according to CNN.

Although he was an adviser during the 2020 campaign, he has spoken out against Trump for insisting the election was stolen. 

The result could be one of Trump’s riskiest endorsements, as he seeks to impose his personality and war chest on the midterms. 

‘A vote for Brian Kemp in this primary is a vote for Stacey Abrams,’ said Trump in a recent telerally, invoking the likely Democratic candidate. 

‘And I’ll tell you, I don’t believe the Republicans are going to go out and vote in the general election for Brian Kemp.’

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is another senior Republican campaigning for Kemp

At the same time, the former president himself has admitted that defeating an incumbent like Kemp might be difficult.

‘It’s hard. It’s very hard to beat, because they have a lot of money behind them. You know, everybody is giving them money,’ Trump said in an interview with conservative broadcaster John Fredericks. 

‘But we will see what happens.’

Trump has also endorsed Rep. Jody Hice who is in primary race with Georgia sec. of state Brad Raffensperger, whom he famously asked to ‘find’ 11,000 votes in a phone call after the race.

He has seen several of his high-profile endorsees win so far – including the author and former Marine J.D. Vance in Ohio.

But on Tuesday, his pick, Charles Herbster, lost the Nebraska Republican gubernatorial primary. He missed out to Jim Pillen, who had the backing of Ricketts.