President Donald Trump will make his first visit to Georgia since reclaiming the White House, headlining an event Thursday in the deep-red northwest corner of the state the White House bills as a showcase for his economic agenda.
But Trump’s visit lands at a combustible moment for Georgia Republicans, as he encourages a state takeover of Fulton County’s elections and GOP contenders wage bruising fights that have become litmus tests over loyalty to the president and the direction of his second-term agenda.
It comes after a Jan. 28 FBI raid of Fulton’s election offices thrust Trump’s debunked claims of widespread fraud in 2020 back into Georgia’s spotlight, reigniting tensions that many party leaders tried to move past. The president, who once called his allies on the State Election Board “pitbulls,” has amplified calls for a state takeover of the heavily Democratic county’s election system.
And it unfolds as Georgia Republicans navigate wide-open races for governor, a high-profile congressional vacancy in northwest Georgia left by former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and mounting GOP concerns about the party’s chances of defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Trump’s remarks could reverberate across each of those fights.
He’s stepping into the political territory long represented by Greene, who abruptly resigned in January after a surprisingly bitter feud with the president. Trump recently endorsed former prosecutor Clay Fuller to replace her, elevating a more conventional Republican who has pledged a less confrontational style.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
“I’ve got the gear to be a bomb thrower, but I know when I need to do it,” Fuller said in an interview. “And I know when I need to persuade people in a different manner. And that’s defined my career.”
The power of Trump’s endorsement will be put to the test in a messy March 10 special election featuring nearly two dozen contenders, many of whom also portray themselves as MAGA stalwarts. Trump himself even appeared to forget he had taken sides this week as he boasted of his clout.
“We have a lot of people who want to take Marjorie Traitor Greene’s place,” Trump said aboard Air Force One this week, using a favorite insult for the Georgia Republican. “Many, many candidates. I have to choose one. They say whoever I endorse is going to win.”
Greene shot back the slur was a “badge of honor.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar, Miguel Martinez/AJC
‘Trump’s favorite?’
Trump’s posture in the governor’s race will also be under scrutiny. The president endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones last year, siding with one of his earliest and most loyal Georgia backers.
It was a predictable move in a contest featuring Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, two Republicans who broke with Trump after the 2020 election.
But the entry of billionaire Rick Jackson scrambled the field and introduced a deep-pocketed outsider who promises he will be “Trump’s favorite governor.” No one expects the president to abandon Jones. But even a hint that he is open to Jackson could upend the race’s trajectory.
In Georgia’s Senate contest, Trump has resisted choosing a favorite in a Republican field that includes U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley. In a divided primary with no consensus favorite, a subtle nod in one direction could transform the contest.
Hovering over the visit is Trump’s uneasy relationship with Gov. Brian Kemp, who will be in Washington for a national meeting of state leaders.
After years of public sparring, the two reached a fragile detente during the 2024 campaign — only for Trump to unleash a 10-minute tirade that forced party leaders to scramble behind the scenes to mend fences.
Kemp has since avoided provoking the president, who has largely left him alone. Trump’s tone in Rome could either reinforce the truce or reopen a rift that has repeatedly reshaped Georgia’s GOP politics.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
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