MILWAUKEE — Georgians are set to play prominent roles during the Republican National Convention that kicks off Monday to formally nominate Donald Trump for a third time days after an apparent attempt on his life.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich landed coveted speaking spots at the four-day event. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler are attending the gathering, which will take on a more sobering tone after the weekend violence.
And even Gov. Brian Kemp — who admitted he cast a blank ballot rather than vote for Trump in Georgia’s primary — will be on hand. He’s set for a spate of media appearances in between events with GOP delegates.
But also telling are the Republican officials skipping the RNC.
Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger aren’t expected to attend. Like Kemp, both easily defeated Trump-endorsed candidates in Republican primaries two years ago. And both are top contenders for higher statewide office in 2026.
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a one-time Trump ally who was a rising star in state politics, is now best known as one of the loudest GOP critics of Trump. Instead of attending the RNC, he’s seen as a potential speaker at the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
And some far-right firebrands were left off the list of delegates. One is David Cross, the party’s first-vice chair, who has long stoked election fraud lies and has been an outspoken critic of Kemp and other Republican elected officials. He was left off Georgia’s slate of delegates, even though several of his predecessors attended previous conventions.
The hundreds of Georgians attending the event — including the 59 delegates and 56 alternate delegates — might as well be a microcosm of today’s GOP.
Some are mainstream conservatives and mega-donors who have long been involved in party machinations. Others have only started paying attention to state and national politics when Trump ran for office. All have pledged to back Trump.
Several have become stars in MAGA circles for their loyalty to Trump. Former GOP chair David Shafer, who has pleaded not guilty to election-interference charges in Fulton County, is among Georgia’s delegates. So are several others who served as GOP electors in 2020.
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
And Kandiss Taylor, the chair of the 1st District GOP, is serving as an alternate. A former candidate for governor, Taylor unsuccessfully challenged Kemp on a “Jesus, Guns and Babies” platform fueled by conspiracy theories and election fraud lies.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a political newcomer who ran for office as a MAGA-inspired conservative, said the goal is to project a sense of unity that contrasts with Democratic turmoil surrounding Biden’s health.
“We not only have the opportunity to flip the Senate, which we’re going to do. We’re going to put Trump in the White House,” he said at a Trump campaign office opening in Athens. “But we also have the majority in the House in which we can build on that majority.”
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is also set to attend the four-day convention, which he expects will project a sense of unity behind Trump.
“It’s a long time until November. Politics is a very tough game and there are a lot of ups and down,” Jones said in an interview. “You do need to put on a good show for the people.”
Staff writers Michelle Baruchman and Adam van Brimmer contributed to this report.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
