Georgia GOP faces big questions at state convention

It's a fraught time for Republicans, and many of the hundreds of activists gathering for the two-day event have poured their energy into the vote over the party's leadership. W. John Wood, the chairman of the Savannah-based 1st Republican District, said the mood is undeniably "anxious."

“Across the state, you have this feeling where you are in the locker room, lights out trying to stay focused — but you know once you walk out the tunnel there is no going back,” he said. “The party has the resolve, but the real question is who we will follow out of that tunnel.”

The dynamics of the race were set well before Trump’s victory or Ossoff’s emergence as a rising Democratic star. A lawsuit filed by a black former Georgia GOP staffer claiming she was racially discriminated against by party Chairman John Padgett has sapped its coffers and hobbled its leadership.

Republican leaders complain about an ineffective party operation that provides them little help. Contributions have largely dried up, and the Georgia GOP's balance sheet is mired in red ink. The latest federal filings show the party has $223,000 in the bank — and $317,000 in debts.

The uncertainty that surrounds the Trump presidency, which has seen national approval ratings steadily fall below 50 percent, has further roiled the fight to lead the state party, a contest that features four veteran GOP activists. Each represents a distinct bloc of the GOP, and each pledges to reinvigorate fundraising and restore some of the party’s lost luster.

Awash in red ink

Perhaps the biggest name in the contest is John Watson, a lobbyist and adviser to both former Gov. Sonny Perdue and U.S. Sen. David Perdue who highlights his experience and fundraising ability. He’s picked up a string of endorsements from party heavyweights who warn that political exile is just an election away.

“After that record of successes, organizations tend to get complacent — and I’m afraid we may be in that category,” the former governor wrote this week in a note to GOP delegates endorsing Watson. “I don’t want that to happen.”

Watson’s rivals paint him as exactly the type of mainstream establishment figure that Trump fought to overthrow. Alex Johnson, a DeKalb County attorney who has run twice against Padgett, urges grass-roots activists to rise up against “political industry insiders” and support him.

“We can continue to lose voter share across our state,” he said in one pitch to delegates, “or we can choose to make the Georgia GOP a one-stop shop for Republican political involvement.”

Another contender, party Vice Chairman Michael McNeely, is also distancing himself from Padgett as he runs to be the state’s first African-American GOP chairman. He casts himself as the only leader who can grow the party’s base and appeal to minorities and others who don’t traditionally vote Republican.

“We must understand and respect the perspectives of others, investing the necessary time and resources to earn trust,” McNeely said. “We must bring together fellow conservatives from all walks of life.”

A fourth contender, former 12th District GOP Chairman Mike Welsh, talks frequently about the need to rebuild the party's county-by-county infrastructure and bring an executive's mentality to a party desperately in need of "embracing technology."

“My main focus in my career is helping companies become lean, mean and efficient,” said Welsh, a one-time consultant who works for a manufacturing firm outside of Augusta. “That’s exactly what I want to do for the Georgia Republican Party. And I have the skills to do that.”

‘New beginnings’

It’s also a tantalizing opportunity for many of the party’s 2018 candidates to make in-person appeals to the people they’ll need to power their campaigns. The activists at the weekend meeting are the same people GOP candidates rely upon to man phone banks, canvass neighborhoods and cheer at events.

Each of the announced candidates in the governor’s race — Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and state Sens. Hunter Hill and Michael Williams — is expected to speak. So will Attorney General Chris Carr and a gaggle of candidates seeking to replace Kemp and Cagle.

Karen Handel also hopes to rev up enthusiasm over her campaign to represent the 6th Congressional District, a suburban stretch of north Atlanta long held by the GOP.

Facing stiff competition from Ossoff, with recent polls showing a tight race, Handel is likely to use a Saturday morning speaking slot to try to rally conservatives. And some Handel supporters see the convention as a way to kick off the final weeks of the race.

“There is a lot of momentum going into the state convention as we look forward to a fresh start and new beginnings,” said Jade Morey, a Republican activist from Middle Georgia and Handel volunteer who called it an opportune time to “come together and coalesce around our message” behind the candidate.

Others see the 6th District race as a fleeting chance for the party to unite behind a single campaign before the 2018 primary heats up. But first, Wood said, there's the pesky matter of finding a new GOP chairman who can lead the charge.

“The leadership and the average party member realize that if we choose the wrong leader to follow out of that tunnel,” he said, “it could be a major problem entering 2018.”

GOP COVERAGE AND MORE

For updates from the state GOP convention and other news about Georgia politics, check out http://www.myAJC.com/politics.

Staff writer Greg Bluestein will be at the convention, covering the news as it happens.