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“Making an allegation without having the facts to back it up could be damaging to its long-term legacy,” said Senator Mike Rounds (RS.D.) categorically.
“I hope when the president is in Georgia on Saturday he will speak about the importance of voting,” added Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), GOP executive member. “And I think what he says on this trip will probably matter more than what he has said so far.
Republicans believe Trump’s involvement is key to motivating their constituents for the Jan.5 runoff. But there are already signs that Republicans are trying to avert a collapse in Georgia, where candidates and outside groups are raising millions.
Advisors to the president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. are launching a super PAC aimed at building supporters in the second round – some of which are calling for a total boycott of races. And over the weekend, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel argued with backing from Trump who claimed the two Senate races had already been ‘decided’, essentially echoing the president’s claims. electoral fraud.
“It is no use if they themselves fulfill a prophecy to refuse to vote and lose the legacy the president is offering them,” said Rounds, when asked about the boycott some Trump supporters are plotting.
Even as Trump urges his supporters to vote for Perdue and Loeffler, he continues to hammer the Georgian secretary of state and governor – the two Republicans – for what he calls a “fraudulent” result in favor of Biden. Trump even said he was “ashamed” of his endorsement of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in 2018, and called him “unhappy” on Monday.
Georgia Republicans are enraged by his rhetoric and publicly urge the president to avoid talking about the November 3 election.
“It is time for this to be over,” said former Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Who previously occupied the Perdue seat. “When he comes he must not talk about his race, he must show his support for the two candidates in Georgia and put to rest anyone who comments on the fact or has an idea not to vote because they might think these. two candidates are not doing enough to challenge the election.
Perdue and Loeffler both called on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to step down, in an open nod to Trump and his challenges to the Georgia election results. But they have refused to embrace his arguments more fully, even though senior GOP officials – like Raffensperger – actively push them back.
“The ridiculous things claimed in some of these lawsuits are just that – this is madness, a feverish dream, an invented Internet cabal,” said Gabriel Sterling, Republican and responsible for implementing the voting system for them. elections in Georgia.
Even as Trump continues to wage his implausible legal battle, Republicans in the Senate are acknowledging Biden’s victory. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) said it is “Becoming clearer by the minute” that the former vice president won and, therefore, “I’m already moving on.”
And Senate Majority Whip John Thune (RS.D.) last week said the General Service Administration’s decision to allow the presidential transition process to move forward after weeks of deadlock, ”suggests [Trump] understands which direction he is heading.
Republicans, meanwhile, were offering their thoughts on Biden’s choices for his cabinet, another sign they are bracing for the inevitable.
Highlighting Trump’s influence on the GOP, only a minority of Republicans call on the president for seeking to overturn election results in battlefield states. And most wait for the Electoral College to formalize the election results on December 14 before officially declaring Biden president-elect.
But a handful of Republicans are starting to worry about the long-term impact of Trump’s bogus claims that “rigged elections” and widespread voter fraud may have on the country.
“There has not yet been any evidence presented of a systematic or substantial nature, and therefore I think it is very unfortunate and damaging for the cause of democracy to bring serious charges without serious evidence,” said the senator. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a frequent critic of the president who did not vote for Trump in November.
“I’m just worried about the erosion of public confidence in our electoral process,” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said of Trump’s allegations, and urged him on Monday to concede. “It’s an integral part of who we are as a country.”
Burgess Everett contributed to this report.
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