CLEVELAND – The 76 Georgia delegates who arrived in Ohio this week are a mix of unabashed Donald Trump backers, skeptical Republicans wavering over how enthusiastically to support him and a few that won't vouch for him under any scenario.
Sen. David Perdue wants to make sure they're all, unequivocally, on the same page. The message he delivered to Trump skeptics at the Georgia delegation's opening breakfast: "Get over it."
“We’ve got to take Georgia out of play. We need to throw the hammer down and make sure we drive the early polls so we can help other states, like Pennsylvania and Ohio, that could be in play,” said Perdue. “This guy could win big. And I’ll tell you, if you want to do anything for conservative causes, you need to win big.”
Georgia is one of 17 states Trump's campaign has targeted as must-wins to preserve his chance of taking the White House. A united front, Perdue said, will prevent Democrat Hillary Clinton's camp from pouring resources and staff into the state. And Perdue will be among the Trump supporters traveling from delegation-to-delegation to drum up support for the candidate.
Said Perdue:
"We don't have any drama in the Georgia delegation. We're here to make sure Donald J. Trump is the next president of the United States. I know what you're thinking – he wasn't my first choice. He wasn't my second choice. But let me remind you: This is not a candidate to be embarrassed about. And let me tell you why: We have an outsider. This isn't something from the Washington establishment."
He said he's confident the 76 delegates would vote unanimously for Trump. Others aren't so sure.
Read more about the debate over Trump the Georgia delegation here.
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