RNC official says Trump's endorsements are based on 'who he dislikes' and it's a strategy that's unlikely to succeed
- A number of Trump-endorsed candidates slumped to defeat in key primaries in Georgia on Tuesday.
- Some Republicans are now openly questioning Trump's endorsement strategy.
A Republican National Committee official slammed Donald Trump's endorsement strategy after candidates backed by the former president crashed to defeat in the Georgia GOP primaries Tuesday.
Speaking to The New York Times, Henry Barbour, a Republican National Committee member from Mississippi, said that Trump's endorsements were "driven by who he dislikes and whoever's running against them."
"Sometimes that may work out, but I think as we see in Georgia, it's very unlikely to," Barbour said.
The comments are significant because few Republican leaders have been willing to openly criticize the former president, fearing backlash from his devoted followers and political allies.
But with a slew of Trump-backed candidates defeated in recent primaries, some Republicans are openly criticizing his endorsement strategy. The Republican Governors Association has provided financial and political support to state officials targeted by Trump in another sign of defiance toward the former president.
The latest setback came Tuesday, when the Trump-endorsed Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue was convincingly defeated by incumbent Brian Kemp. Trump's pick in the race for the secretary of state nomination, Jody Hice, was also defeated by incumbent Brad Raffensperger.
Trump had picked both candidates as part of his revenge campaign against Kemp and Raffensperger for refusing to help him overturn his defeat in the state in the 2020 presidential election. Both Hice and Perdue based their campaigns around promoting Trump's baseless claims the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
In a Tuesday tweet, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former Trump ally, said that Georgia voters had refused to take part in what he called Trump's "vendetta tour" against those he perceived as his foes in the state.
"Enormous win tonight for @BrianKempGA. I am so proud of and happy for my friend — and just as importantly for the Georgia GOP and the people of Georgia. They were not going to kick out a great Governor or be willing participants in the DJT Vendetta Tour," he wrote, referring to Trump by his initials.
Some Republican critics believe that Trump's fixation on his election-fraud claims alienates moderate voters, and that he is insufficiently focused on key issues that decide state races. But defenders of the former president insist that his endorsees have an unblemished record in national primaries.