Kelly Loeffler intends to portray herself as strong supporter of President Donald Trump, a critic of the “impeachment circus” and an outspoken opponent of abortion rights when she’s introduced Wednesday as Georgia’s next U.S. senator.
In prepared remarks obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the financial executive will introduce herself to Georgia voters as an outsider who will fight the “socialist gang” in Washington bent on defeating the president.
“I haven’t spent my life trying to get to Washington. But here’s what folks are going to find out about me: I’m a lifelong conservative. Pro-Second Amendment. Pro-military. Pro-wall. And pro-Trump,” she will say. “I make no apologies for my conservative values, and will proudly support President Trump’s conservative judges.”
Loeffler is set to be appointed Wednesday by Gov. Brian Kemp to succeed U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is retiring at year's end due to health concerns. The event is to be attended by several high-ranking Republican officials, intended to be a show of support for Kemp's pick.
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Little-known even in political circles, Loeffler has faced stark criticism from conservatives who scrutinized her degree of support for Trump, questioned her past campaign contributions to Democrats and tried to depict her as a closet liberal.
Many of those advocates favor U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, a four-term congressman backed by Trump, who has repeatedly pressed Kemp to appoint him to the seat. Collins told the AJC two weeks ago that he's "strongly" considering a run for the seat against Loeffler, potentially setting up a nasty GOP fight.
In her remarks, Loeffler tries to temper the critiques. She will say she believes the "abortion-on-demand agenda is immoral" and that she would vote for legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“When it comes to protecting innocent life, I look to God because every life is a blessing,” according to her prepared remarks.
Loeffler, a multi-millionaire who runs the Bakkt financial platform, also will make a calculated pitch to women who have fled the Georgia GOP in recent years, fueling rapid gains by Democrats that have turned Georgia into a battleground state.
“Contrary to what you see in the media, not every strong woman in America is a liberal,” she will say. “Many of us are conservatives, and proud of it.”
She will say she’s “angered” by the impeachment proceedings dominating Washington and that she believes they are a “sideshow and a distraction.” And she’ll cast Democrats as part of a “socialist gang” led by U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
“They’ve taken over the Democrat Party. And they will not stop until America bends to their demands, and everything that makes us great has been destroyed,” she will say.
“This is the fight of our generation. And it’s why I’m here. As an outsider to Washington, I know I will have to prove it, to earn your confidence and support with my votes, my priorities and my actions. And that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
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