{UAH} WE HAVE A CANDIDATE IN GEORGIA

Georgia GOP lawmaker announces bid challenging Brad Raffensperger for secretary of state

Mike Brest 11 hrs ago

Georgia Rep. Jody Hice announced a bid to run against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

© Provided by Washington Examiner

Hice, a Trump ally who has repeated the former president’s claims of election fraud, will be going up against one of the few Republican leaders who did not fall in line with the claims. The lawmaker invoked election integrity in his announcement ahead of the 2022 election.

“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our country. What Brad Raffensperger did was create cracks in the integrity of our elections, which I wholeheartedly believe individuals took advantage of in 2020,” Hice, who has served in Congress since 2015, said. “Though I am encouraged to see the General Assembly taking it upon themselves to address some of the glaring issues in our elections, Georgia deserves a Secretary of State who will own the responsibilities of the office.”

In a rebuke of Raffensperger, Hice said people have “the right to be outraged by the actions, and simultaneously, the inaction” of the secretary of state in the wake of the election, adding that his “top priority” will be “ensuring every Georgian’s legally cast ballot is counted in future elections.”

Shortly after Hice announced his candidacy, he received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump and his PAC, Save America. Trump called Hice's announcement "good news," and he also brought up the issue of election integrity.

"Wow, just heard the good news. One of our most outstanding Congressmen, Jody Hice, has announced he is running for Secretary of State in the Great State of Georgia. Jody has been a steadfast fighter for conservative Georgia values and is a staunch ally of the America First agenda," Trump said. "Unlike the current Georgia Secretary of State, Jody leads out front with integrity. I have 100% confidence in Jody to fight for Free, Fair, and Secure Elections in Georgia, in line with our beloved U.S. Constitution. Jody will stop the Fraud and get honesty into our Elections! Jody loves the people of Georgia, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement."

In the aftermath of the election, a number of Republicans called for strengthening voting laws to prevent fraud and increase voter confidence. However, Democrats argue this is a ploy to disenfranchise Democratic voters because the GOP lost states that they've traditionally won.

Georgia became a hotbed for the issue, given the Senate runoff election in the state where Democrats won both seats, granting them the majority in the Senate.

The Georgia Legislature is currently considering more than 10 different pieces of election-related legislation, which lawmakers argue improve the security and integrity of the vote. If passed, the bills would require voters to present ID, block voters from being automatically registered to vote when obtaining their driver’s licenses, end no-excuse absentee voting, give poll watchers more access to vote tallying, set a deadline to request an absentee ballot to 11 days before Election Day, and restrict drop boxes and early voting on Sundays, among other provisions.

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