Some in Georgia GOP Seek Purity Test as Trump Appears at Convention in Aftermath of Indictment
U.S. News & World Report ATLANTA (AP) Georgia's state Republican convention gets underway Friday with Donald Trump still expected on Saturday, even as a right-wing party faction seeks to punish GOP officials it considers ideological traitors by banning them from future primary election ballots.
Trump could feed an air of vengeance after announcing Thursday that hes been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents, overshadowing party business and speakers including Republican presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The proposal to ban candidates could be used to penalize elected Republican leaders including Gov. Brian Kemp or Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who crossed Trump by refusing the then-presidents demands to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. It also could be used against candidates who show insufficient purity on abortion or taxes.
Kemp, Raffensperger and some other officials are skipping the two-day gathering in Columbus.
The proposals could be squelched, with opponents saying primary election voters should decide whos fit to be a Republican. While ideological purists try to move Republicans relentlessly to the right, pragmatists say thats a strategy to lose general elections in battleground Georgia.
