Utah GOP Representatives Raise Money In Georgia Senate Race To Counter Democrats

SALT LAKE CITY – Accusing Democrats of cheating in crucial U.S. Senate races in Georgia, Representative Chris Stewart is leading an effort within the Utah Congressional delegation to raise funds for the two Republican candidates.

In a video on Twitter, Stewart, R-Utah, says the country is under attack and Georgia Senate races are the last line of defense. Democrats, he said, are “desperate” to win both seats, and if they do, they will have “absolute” power.

“That’s why they cheat. They encourage people to move to Georgia. They support them on how to register and vote. They are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in this race. We have to do the same, ”he said.

The Stewart Campaign intends to host a virtual fundraiser in December with other GOP members from the state delegation for the Georgia Battleground Fund, a joint fundraising committee of Republican senators from Georgia. incumbent and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The two Senate seats in Georgia went to the second round after the November 3 election as no candidate won 50% of the vote to secure the seat. Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler now face Democrats Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in an election on Jan.5.

Control of the Senate is at stake. The GOP currently holds 50 seats compared to the Democrats’ 48. If Democrats win both Georgia seats, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would have the deciding vote in the event of a tie.

Georgia is among the states Democrat Joe Biden was able to do an about-face in the 2020 election, although President Donald Trump has called for a recount among his challenges to election results in several states.

In the days following the announcement of the Georgia Senate run-off, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman apparently encouraged people to travel to Georgia to vote for Democrats.

“I hope everyone will go to Georgia, you know, in a month or two, register to vote and vote for these two Democratic senators,” he said on CNN.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang tweeted that he and his wife were moving to Georgia to help Warnock and Ossoff win. Yang is also encouraging people to donate to organizations that are working to get the vote for the two candidates.

Those comments led people on social media to travel to the state ahead of the election. Most wanted to know how they could volunteer, but a smaller number of people responding to Yang’s tweet raised the possibility of voting in the state, according to Vox.

But neither Yang nor Friedman suggested moving to Georgia temporarily or establishing a bogus residence to vote in the second round of elections.

Moving to Georgia just to vote in an election without the intention of staying in the state is illegal.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has issued a warning to groups that could help people settle in the state to vote in the election.

“Make no mistake, I will seek to prosecute those who attempt to undermine our elections to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in a recent statement. “Outside groups seeking to interfere with democracy in Georgia must be warned that the consequences will be severe.”

Utah Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Merchant has said he’s in touch with the Georgia Democratic Party, but there are no organized efforts in Utah to raise money for Warnock and Ossoff. There are Utahns who travel to Georgia to participate in the campaigns, he said.

“One thing Democrats are good at is their ground game,” he said.

Merchant said he hasn’t followed the races in Georgia closely, but doubts Democrats will flock there to vote.

“Obviously Donald Trump hasn’t played particularly well in Georgia, and continuing to peddle conspiracy theories is hurting our country. It really is, ”he said.

Stewart said the Georgia Senate races are critical to the nation’s future. He said he would match donations dollar for dollar up to a total of $ 10,000 for Republican candidates. His tweet included a link to the Georgia Battleground Fund.

“I need your help. In fact, America needs your help,” he said.

Utah Senator Mike Lee, Rep. John Curtis, Retired Rep. Rob Bishop and newly elected Congressmen Burgess Owens and Blake Moore, as well as Stewart, plan to host a joint fundraiser via Zoom on December 7, said Jordan Giles, Stewart’s campaign manager. Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is not confirmed, he said.

A source from Romney said the senator was not invited to the Utah fundraiser. However, he leveraged his own fundraising network to benefit Georgia Senate candidates, including hosting a virtual fundraiser last week for the Georgia Battleground Fund which is expected to raise over half a million dollars. dollars.

Giles described the event as a roundtable discussion where the senator and members of Congress would ask Utahns to donate to the fund. He said none of the money would stay in Utah but go to Georgia GOP candidates.

In a Facebook post earlier this week, Lee said Perdue and Loeffler needed help from across the country and asked people to contribute to their campaigns.

“Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats will stop at nothing to gain control of the Senate majority. Mega-donor Democrats are dumping MILLIONS of dollars in Georgia and we need your help to stop them. Right now, this is the crucial time when both campaigns are stepping up their field operations, voter outreach and mass marketing, ”he wrote.