Georgia GOP senators call on Georgia secretary of state to resign

Sens. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) on Monday called for Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to resign, accusing him of failing “to deliver honest and transparent elections.”

In a joint statement, Perdue and Loeffler, who are both facing runoff elections in January, said that Georgia’s elections had become “an embarrassment,” and that the 2020 general elections had “shined a national light on the problems.”

“We believe when there are failures, they need to be called out – even when it’s in your own party,” Perdue and Loeffler said. “There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems. While blame certainly lies elsewhere as well, the buck ultimately stops with the Secretary of State.” 

“The mismanagement and lack of transparency from the Secretary of State is unacceptable. Honest elections are paramount to the foundation of our democracy. The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately,” they added.

The joint call for Raffensperger’s resignation by both of his state’s Republican senators comes as the vote count out of the traditionally red state shows President-elect Joe Biden with a roughly 10,600-vote lead over President Trump.

Biden was declared the winner of the presidential contest on Saturday after notching a victory in Pennsylvania. But Trump has not conceded the race, claiming without evidence that the election was rigged against him and that massive voter fraud contributed to Biden’s victory.

Trump’s campaign has already indicated that the president will seek a recount in Georgia, where he trails Biden by a scant 0.21 percentage points.

Despite the claims of fraud coming from Trump and his allies, Raffensperger has said that he has not been notified of any verifiable instances of fraud or voting irregularities this election. The statement on Monday from Loeffler and Perdue did not mention any specific allegations of fraud or irregularities, nor did it provide evidence of such claims. 

But the allegations of fraud could prove to be a powerful rallying cry for conservatives, especially as Perdue and Loeffler head to runoff elections in which they will need strong support from Trump’s political base. 

In a statement, Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) press secretary said the election should “be a wake up call” for Raffensperger’s office. 

Statement from the Governor’s Office #gapol pic.twitter.com/im0kGBHpcm

— Cody Hall (@CodyHallGA) November 9, 2020

—Updated at 5:26 p.m.