GOP civil war spreads to Georgia runoff

A GOP civil war is underway, and Republicans in Georgia are caught in the middle of the skirmish.

Dueling Republican factions are openly competing for relevance as a Dec. 6 Senate runoff approaches, arguing about which wing of the party is best positioned to help Herschel Walker net a victory. The election is the GOP’s last shot at maintaining its current 50 seats in the Senate, rather than losing one to Democrats.

But Senate Republican infighting isn’t the only dispute affecting the Peach State race. Georgia GOP activists are worried about the potential effect of Donald Trump launching his 2024 run on Tuesday, an announcement that local party leaders fear could depress turnout among moderate Republicans — votes that Walker needs to beat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who finished just ahead of him in last week’s election. Despite even some of Trump’s own allies urging him to delay an announcement until after the runoff election, Trump declined to wait.

“Well, for his own reasons, he didn’t,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said in an interview after a chilly outdoor rally for Walker on Wednesday, when asked whether Trump should have held off. “You know, I sure hope it has a wonderful effect.”