Donald Trump (L); Mike Pence.Photo: Getty (2)
Mike Penceis taking sides in Georgia’s Republican primary race for governor. And it’s not the oneDonald Trumpis on,widening a riftbetween the former GOP running mates.
The former vice president declared his support for Gov. Brian Kemp’s reelection campaign in a big way on Friday, putting him at odds with Trump, who’s endorsed former Sen. David Perdue while relentlessly attacking the incumbent.
Calling Kemp “one of the most successful conservative governors in America,” Pence announced he will headline a get-out-the-vote rally the day before the May 24 vote to determine the Republican nominee in November’s midterms.
“Brian Kemp is my friend, a man dedicated to faith, family and the people of Georgia,” Pence said,according to Politico. “I am proud to offer my full support for four more years of Brian Kemp as governor of the great state of Georgia.”
The May 23 rally has reportedly been in the works for several weeks, a source told Politico.
Pence announced it just two days after Trumpexpressed his displeasurewith other prominent Republicans for backing Kemp.
Evan Vucci/AP.
PEOPLE asked a Trump rep for comment on Pence’s announcement but did not immediately get a reply.
The former president has reportedly raised money and campaigned for Perdue in Georgia, a state Trump lost in 2020.
And therein lies Trump’s issues with Kemp. After the votes were counted and an audit was conducted, the governor certified Biden’s narrow win on Nov. 20, adding Georgia’s 16 electoral votes to his count.
Trump continues to repeat false claims of election fraud, despite alack of evidence. In Wednesday’s statement, he referred to Kemp as “the worst ‘election integrity’ Governor in the country.”
Perdue, on the other hand, made the so-called “rigged and stolen” election a theme in his campaign. (Perdue also lost in the same election cycle when Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated him in a January 2021 run-off vote for a Georgia Senate seat.)
Pence previously distanced himself from Trump and his falsehoods about the legitimacy of Biden’s win.
“Our former president said I had the right to ‘overturn the election.’ President Trump is wrong,“Pence said in February, referring topart of a planTrump has acknowledged that would have allowed him to remain in the White House if the vice president had rejected the electoral vote count while presiding over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Mike and I had a great relationship except for the very important factor that took place at the end,” the former president told theWashington Examinerin March.
In the interview, he said if he runs again in two years, Pence won’t be on the ticket because"I don’t think the people would accept it.”
Pence might not be available anyway, given that he’s reportedly considering his own bid for the presidency in 2024.
source: people.com
