He’s filed court briefings supporting Trump’s decision to deport prisoners his administration says are Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. He’s thrown his weight behind legislation that bans taxpayer-funded treatments for transgender-related medical procedures.

And he’s showing up in Washington’s MAGA circles, from meetings with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to a panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference — the Trump-cheering conference where Elon Musk theatrically wielded a chainsaw to boast about slashing federal jobs.

Carr’s strategy is clear: shore up his conservative credentials to blunt attacks from Jones and his allies who try to label him as a RINO. As he put it in a recent interview, he’s fully embracing Trump’s brand of politics.

“I know that the Trump administration is going to be far better on the issues that I care about, which are jobs and the economy, safety and an immigration system that starts with defending the nation,” Carr told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“That’s what I care about,” he added. “And I know that this administration is going to be far better than the four years that we’ve had under the Biden and Harris administration.”

But his approach has drawn fire from all sides. Democrats say Carr is scrambling to curry favor with Trump’s base at the expense of the very Georgians he’s sworn to protect. And Jones’ allies accuse Carr of not doing enough to support Trump.

“Chris Carr has zero appeal in MAGA world,” said Bruce Levell, a Trump ally and former U.S. House candidate in Georgia who once chaired the president’s diversity coalition.

“Burt Jones is the highest-level MAGA candidate there is in Georgia. And if you’re not aligned with Trump’s strong conservative policies, there’s no pathway to any higher office as a Republican in Georgia.”

‘All in for Trump’

Carr’s full-throated embrace of MAGA world coincides with Trump’s growing grip on the Georgia GOP. Trump won more than 80% of the state’s presidential primary vote and topped Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris by over 110,000 votes in November — signs the GOP base remains firmly in his corner.

That means any attempt to veer from Trump’s orbit risks alienating a huge slice of the party’s base — a move that could doom him in a primary where Trump loyalty is expected to be a pivotal litmus test.

And to mount a winning campaign, Carr must try to thread a needle among the disparate factions that make up today’s Georgia GOP, said University of Georgia political scientist Audrey Haynes.

The loyal, engaged Trump-centric voters dominate the party’s electorate, but to secure the GOP’s nomination, candidates must also court establishment Republicans, swing suburbanites and populists who make up smaller but still influential segments of the GOP coalition.

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

“The key is whether or not he can inoculate himself from attacks and gain support from MAGA world in a way that also keeps him viable with other Republicans who aren’t all-in for Trump,” Haynes said.

Pulling that off is complicated. Carr was mentored by more mainstream Republicans who championed a different — less combative — style of politics.

Isakson, who made him his chief of staff, is a throwback conservative who cherished his work across party lines and was appalled by the bitter partisan infighting of Trump’s first term. And Deal, who appointed Carr attorney general, recently vented about how the deepening partisan divide has poisoned modern politics.

Once Republican powerhouses, Isakson and Deal could now be liabilities for Carr.

“It’s laughable to say Chris Carr is a MAGA Republican. He’s a Johnny Isakson Republican. I love Johnny, but the Republican Party has changed. Now it’s Trump’s party,” said state Sen. Brandon Beach, who Trump recently appointed as his administration’s treasurer.

Just days ago, Beach took to the Senate floor to demand that Carr pursue criminal charges against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the architect of the sweeping election interference case against Trump and his allies. He said he hasn’t heard back.

“The base knows President Trump is a Burt Jones guy. He’s fought for Trump. He helped him get elected,” Beach said. “Chris Carr wasn’t there. When he was really needed he wasn’t there. And now he’s trying to jump on the bandwagon.”

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Carr is looking to follow the blueprint of another Republican who successfully navigated Georgia’s treacherous political terrain: Gov. Brian Kemp, who won election in 2022 by pursuing conservative policies even as he faced Trump’s resistance.

Heath Garrett, Carr’s chief strategist, noted how both the attorney general and the governor demolished Trump-backed candidates in Republican primaries in 2022 with broad support from across the GOP.

“MAGA vs. Carr is a false narrative,” said Garrett. “You can want Donald Trump in Washington and Brian Kemp and Chris Carr in Georgia. Which is why Kemp and Carr got 74% of the vote in 2022.”

‘Fighting these same fights’

That campaign was the low point in a relationship between Carr and Trump that’s had plenty of twists and turns.

He supported Trump’s 2016 campaign and endorsed his reelection but drew MAGA world’s fury when he refused to back the failed Texas lawsuit to invalidate Georgia’s 2020 results, calling it “constitutionally, legally and factually wrong.”

Trump pressured Carr to change course — and later backed a failed primary challenge against the incumbent attorney general.

After a hard-fought reelection win, Carr has worked to smooth ties with Trump. But that’s also alienated Democrats, who have blasted the state’s top law enforcement officer for hard-line policies they argue have undermined Georgians’ rights.

Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC

Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC

One of their latest concerns: Carr’s decision to join a lawsuit in the final months of President Joe Biden’s administration challenging Section 504, a cornerstone federal program protecting the disabled.

The lawsuit questions whether the law is unconstitutional because it “forces an impossible choice on the states. “The backlash has been swift and fierce. Parents have flooded Carr’s office with calls and emails condemning the lawsuit.

“The attorney general realizes that he has stepped in it,” said Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs.

Carr has defended his stance in that lawsuit and other feuds with Biden as a fight against leftist policies. And he’s worked in other ways to ensure there’s little daylight between him and Trump, including advocating for his government-shrinking, cost-cutting efforts.

“Chris has been fighting these same fights for years,” Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley said. “It’s just that now he’s working with a partner in President Trump rather than fighting an opponent like Biden in court.”