Former President Donald Trump’s political action committee has given $500,000 to a group that is running attack ads in Georgia against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
Trump has wanted Kemp out of office ever since he refused Trump’s request to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results, Politico reports. Trump has endorsed former Senator David Perdue in the May 24 Republican primary.
The PAC donation marks a major change for Trump. It’s the first major outlay from Trump’s Save America PAC, underlining Trump’s continuing obsession with beating Kemp.
Until now, Trump had only written small checks to candidates he is backing, although donors have given Trump more than $110 million to spend. Federal campaign records show the donation went to a group called Get Georgia Right PAC in March.
The ad began airing in March, according to Kantar Media. The Associated Press also obtained a copy of a text message the group sent urging people to watch the ad.
The TV ad that began running on March 25 says that Kemp “dismissed concerns about voter fraud in the 2020 election.” The ad argues that “if Kemp can’t beat voter fraud, he won’t beat [Democratic candidate] Stacey Abrams” in the November general election.
Right now, Perdue is trailing in the polls in Georgia and is being outspent by Kemp. Perdue, who’s worth $50 million, has suggested he could kick in some of his own money, according to the Associated Press.
Kemp remains dismissive of Trump, with spokesperson Cody Hall attacking Perdue about remarks the challenger made Tuesday criticizing Kemp’s stewardship of the state police.
“David Perdue is going to need a lot more than $500,000 to distract from his unhinged rant attacking the Georgia State Patrol,” Hall said.
Actually, there is widespread concern about the Kemp-Perdue primary within Trump’s political orbit. Trump himself has privately expressed unease with Perdue’s standing in the race. Trump is still undecided about making another in-person visit to Georgia to further endorse Perdue.
According to Politico, Trump advisers say they are prepared to take other steps to bolster Perdue’s standing — including small-dollar fundraising, hosting a tele-town hall rally, and sending out Trump-recorded phone calls — before determining whether to hold another in-person campaign-style event.
