Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon Asks Party Official to Resign Following Illegal Voting Ruling

Brian Pritchard Georgia

Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) Chair Josh McKoon on Wednesday confirmed rumors he requested the resignation of the party’s 1st vice chairman, Brian Pritchard, following the revelation he violated the state’s election laws by illegally voting despite being on probation for forgery.

McKoon wrote in a post to the social media platform X that he requested Pritchard’s resignation before making the request public.

Read More

Georgia GOP Cites Sanctuary Cities, Biden Border Policy After Death of Laken Riley: ‘We Don’t Have to Continue to Live Like This’

Laken Riley

Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon expressed the party’s sympathies to the family and friends of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was slain on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus.

He described the death of Riley as a “preventable tragedy” and pointed to sanctuary city policies and the Biden administration’s border crisis after police identified her alleged murderer as Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra.

Read More

Georgia Republican Party Leadership Challenge Rumors Unfounded: Party Officials

Three Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) officials confirmed to The Georgia Star News on Monday that rumors of a forthcoming leadership challenge against two of the party’s top officials were unfounded and no leadership challenge was mounted at the Saturday GAGOP State Committee meeting on St. Simons Island.

In an email reviewed by The Star, Cross cited an editorial from the owner of a Georgia radio station, which claimed a scheme to remove both 1st Vice Chairman Brian Pritchard and 2nd Vice Chairman David Cross from their party positions was scheduled to take place at the Saturday meeting.

Read More

Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon Expects ‘Absurd’ Move to Strike Trump from Colorado Ballot to Energize Republican Voters

Josh McKoon

The chairman of the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) told National Public Radio (NPR) on Friday that he expects the “absurd” decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to strike former President Donald Trump from the ballot will energize Republicans to vote against President Joe Biden in November 2024.

On Tuesday, a one-vote majority of the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Trump engaged in an insurrection against the United States government on January 6, 2021, and thus is ineligible to run for president in 2024 and struck him from the state’s primary ballots, prompting widespread outrage from Republicans.

Read More

Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon Rejects Calls to Run for the State’s Third Congressional District

Josh McKoon, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP), has rejected calls urging him to run for the Peach State’s third congressional district amid current congressman Drew Ferguson’s (R-GA-03) retirement.

Read More

Fani Willis Seeks to ‘Destroy Her Political Enemies,’ Warns Georgia GOP Chair After Legal Bills Pass $1 Million

Since 2022, the Georgia Republican Party has paid more than $1 million in legal bills for current and former officials embroiled in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election in the state. 

Public records reveal the Georgia Republican Party has spent more than $1 million for the legal defense of State Senator Shawn Still (R-Johns Creek), former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, and former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham since 2022. The three Republicans were indicted as part of Willis’s case against Trump for their role as alternative Republican electors during the 2020 election contest.

Read More

Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon Appoints Dennis Futch to Chair New Initiative, Serve as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee

Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) Josh McKoon recently announced his appointment of Dennis Futch to serve as vice chairman of the GAGOP Finance Committee and chairman of a new initiative launched by the party.

“As we remain laser focused on firing Joe Biden next year, we know that improved margins and increased turnout in rural Georgia is a key component to victory,” McKoon said in a statement. “Dennis Futch is the right man to help us build out the strategy to win big in rural Georgia next year. The Rural Mobilization Initiative is all about development and execution of a strategy to both improve our margins and increase voter turnout. I’m very excited to work with Dennis on this effort!”

Read More

Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon Appoints Julianne Thompson to Serve as His Special Advisor

Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) Josh McKoon recently announced his appointment of Julianne Thompson to serve as special advisor to the chairman.

Thompson previously served the GAGOP as communications director and press secretary. In addition, she served as a legislative aide to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and Subcommittee on the Constitution, received two Gubernatorial appointments, and has been listed in Who’s Who Among Outstanding Young Women in America.

Read More

Georgia GOP Chairman Calls Fulton County DA ‘Power-Mad’ over Trump Indictment

Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) Josh McKoon slammed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as a “power-mad prosecutor” this week after former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted for their alleged roles in attempting to “overturn” the results of the 2020 election.

Read More

Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor Expresses Frustration with Elections Meeting

Election security will likely remain a hot-button issue in Georgia when lawmakers return to the Gold Dome in January and heading into the 2024 election.

Last week, Lt. Governor Burt Jones met with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both Republicans, to discuss a 2021 report by Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan computer science and engineering professor. The Georgia Republican Party has raised concerns about the report, which it said uncovered vulnerabilities.

Read More

Georgia GOP Launches Website Defending 2020 Contingent Electors for Trump

The Georgia Republican Party announced on Wednesday that it has launched a website defending the contingent electors for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election as they have been targeted by the Fulton County district attorney’s investigation.

Read More

Georgia Republican Party Names Its Next Executive Director

Chairman Josh McKoon appointed Travis Bowden on Wednesday as the new executive director of the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP).

“With the news that our Executive Director Ryan Caudelle would be leaving the Georgia Republican Party for a new and exciting opportunity in the conservative movement, I was faced with quickly identifying and hiring an Executive Director who could keep the positive momentum we have achieved in the last 31 days going and to accelerate initiatives our leadership intends to roll out in 2023,” McKoon said in a statement. “I am excited to announce I found that Executive Director and am appointing longtime grassroots activist, state committee member, and political consultant Travis Bowden to fill this important role.”

Read More

Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor Leaves the Democrat Party

Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor (R-Atlanta) announced Tuesday her decision to leave the Democrat Party and join the Republican Party.

Mainor said her decision was based on morals, not politics, adding, “I will NEVER apologize for being a black woman with a mind of my own.”

Read More

Georgia GOP ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Fulton County Board of Commissioners Failing to Confirm New Election Board Member

The Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) has released a statement expressing frustration with the Fulton County Board of Commissioners after the group recently failed to confirm the second of two nominees to the Fulton County Board of Registrations and Election (BRE).

Read More

Georgia GOP Demands Action Following ‘Bombshell’ Report Showing Dominion Voting Systems Suffer from ‘Critical Vulnerabilities’

The Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP) has released a statement renewing its call to “support voter confidence for all Georgians in our elections” following an expert report evaluating the security of Georgia’s voting equipment.

Read More

Kari Lake Speaks to Packed Georgia GOP Convention, Defends Trump

Kari Lake gave the keynote speech at the Georgia Republican Party’s annual convention last week after Mike Pence controversially withdrew. Multiple people complained after Pence was announced and after Lake was announced as the replacement, 900 purchased tickets, more than twice as many who bought them last year.

Lake’s speech focused on election fraud and the indictment of Donald Trump. “The two states that have been fighting the hardest to get our sacred vote are Arizona and the peach state of Georgia,” she opened. She thanked Pence for not showing up, “He’s the reason I’m here tonight.” She said when asked if she could fill his shoes, she responded, “I’m more than willing and able to fill Mike Pence’s shoes,” in a subtle reference to possibly being chosen to be Trump’s running mate in 2024 instead of Pence.

Read More

Kari Lake Speaks to Packed Georgia GOP Convention, Defends Trump

Kari Lake gave the keynote speech at the Georgia Republican Party’s annual convention last week after Mike Pence controversially withdrew. Multiple people complained after Pence was announced and after Lake was announced as the replacement, 900 purchased tickets, more than twice as many who bought them last year.

Read More

Georgia GOP Convention Replaces Mike Pence with Kari Lake

Kari Lake will be the keynote speaker at the Georgia Republican Party (GAGOP)’s annual convention, replacing Mike Pence who was originally scheduled. Former President Donald Trump will also be speaking at the convention. The state party Chair David Shafer sent an email to delegates stating that Pence canceled “because of a televised national town hall at which he will be making an announcement regarding his future plans.”

Read More

Herschel Walker’s Million-Man March Through Georgia on Game Day

Strong turnout in Republican areas at the end of early voting in the Senate runoff in Georgia is giving conservatives hope that Herschel Walker can close a 200,000 vote gap Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is estimated to hold. For Walker to win, Election-Day turnout, expected to favor the Republican, needs to hit at least one million votes.

On the day of the November 2022 General Election, about 1.5 million voters turned out, according to Mack Parnell, executive director of the Georgia branch of the nonpartisan Faith and Freedom Coalition.

“Obviously, you know, it’d be a miracle to get that same 1.5 million out, so you’re probably not going to do that. So the magic number in order to make up the margin that can be ascertained for Raphael Warnock, it’s got to be at least a million voters to come out” Parnell said, noting that would give Walker and Warnock even chances.

Read More

Outgoing Georgia Lieutenant Governor Duncan Says He Didn’t Vote for Either Herschel Walker or Raphael Warnock

Outgoing Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (R) told CNN on Wednesday that he couldn’t bring himself to vote for either Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) or Herschel Walker.

“I showed up to vote this morning. I was one of those folks who got in line and spent about an hour waiting. And you know, it was the most disappointing ballot I’ve ever stared at my entire life since I started voting. You know, I had two candidates that I just couldn’t find anything that made sense for me to put my vote behind and so I walked out of that ballot box, showing up to vote, but not voting for either one of them,” Duncan said.

Read More

John Fredericks Analysis: RNC Incompetence in Georgia Run-Off Fuels Huge Warnock Lead

ROME, Georgia – Recent polls for the December 6th runoff election between incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) and Trump-endorsed former Georgia Heisman-Trophy-winner Herschel Walker (R) show a very close race. Early voter turnout is unusually high on both sides with over 468,000 in-person votes by early Tuesday, and leaders of the…

Read More

‘Mega MAGA Bus Tour’ Bus Tour Launches to Support Walker, Lift Republican Turnout

A “Mega MAGA Georgia Bus Tour” to boost Republican turnout in the runoff election between Herschel Walker and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a continuation of GOP efforts to get supporters to embrace early voting. The tour has nine scheduled stops beginning Tuesday morning on the outskirts of Atlanta before heading north, and organizers confirmed that Walker will attend some stops, although specific details are still pending.

The tour comes after the same organizers supported Trump-endorsed former Senator David Perdue in his efforts to primary Governor Brian Kemp, who easily defeated Perdue. That’s left some antipathy in the Georgia GOP at a time when the party can’t afford to lose either moderates or MAGA voters. Kemp has appeared at rallies for Walker, and both are supporting Walker while maintaining distance from each other. Fredericks sees the tour as a chance for party unity.

Read More

Georgia Republicans Push Their Voters to Early Voting

Georgia Republicans are pushing their supporters to embrace early voting in the December 6 runoff election between Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) and Herschel Walker. Early voting began Wednesday in DeKalb County, and some other counties will have early voting on Saturday after a Georgia Supreme Court decision, but all counties must offer early voting beginning November 28.

“If you are a conservative you should VOTE EARLY IN PERSON in Georgia. Don’t trust the Election Day madness. Learn from Maricopa and vote early and securely,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk tweeted Tuesday.

“Absolutely right,” Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer responded.

Read More

Long-Serving Georgia House Speaker Ralston Dies Weeks After Leaving Leadership Position

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, died Thursday following an extended illness.

Ralston, 68, announced earlier this month he would step down as state House speaker. Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, will serve as the 74th state House speaker for the remainder of Ralston’s term, which ends in January.

Read More

Pence to Rally with Kemp on Eve of Primary

In an act of opposition against former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence will rally with Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on the eve of Georgia’s primary election day. 

Kemp confirmed the news on his Twitter account, saying he was “honored” to have Pence’s support. 

Read More

Perdue Says Ossoff Has Repeatedly Failed to Answer Questions on Hies Ties to Chinese Communist Party

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff has repeatedly failed to answer questions about his ties to the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) says.

Perdue faces Ossoff in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff on Tuesday.

Read More

Georgia Republicans Say the Media Owes It to Georgians to Start Asking Raphael Warnock Challenging Questions

Members of the Georgia Republican Party this week said the media must ask U.S. Senate candidate Raphael Warnock a list of specific questions about his past. Georgia GOP members, in a press release, submitted the questions that they want the media to ask.

Read More

Authorities Arrest Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff Supporters on Theft and Obstruction Charges

Columbia County authorities have arrested two alleged thieves who stole packages from people’s homes — as the pair simultaneously distributed fliers supporting the candidacies of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Warnock and Ossoff, both Democrats, want to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate.

Read More

Georgia Senate Republican Caucus Seats Sixteen Trump Electoral College Delegates in Case SCOTUS Rules Out Biden Victory

The Georgia Senate Republican Caucus on Monday seated 16 electors for President Donald Trump, State Senator Brandon Beach (R-GA-21) told the Georgia Star News.

The seating of the electors is in the event that the U.S. Supreme Court does not certify Georgia for Joe Biden, Beach told The Star News.

Read More

Georgia Republicans File Second Ethics Complaint Against Jon Ossoff

U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, allegedly did not disclose he was compensated by an organization that members of the Georgia Republican Party said has links to the Chinese Communist Party. The Georgia GOP alleged this in an ethics complaint that it filed Thursday with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Georgia Republicans identified the organization as PCCW Media Limited.

Read More

Republican Organizations File Lawsuit to Ensure Georgia Follows State Laws for January 5 Runoff Elections

The Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party filed a lawsuit to ensure Georgia election law is properly followed for the January 5 runoff election.

The lawsuit demands that poll watchers be allowed to do their jobs as permitted under Georgia law, and safeguards in the law for ballot “drop boxes” are upheld, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the Republican National Committee.

Read More

Vice President Pence Urges Support for Senators Perdue, Loeffler During Savannah Rally

Following Vice President Mike Pence’s Defend the Majority rally Friday in Savannah, the Georgia Republican Party released a video highlighting his unwavering support for U.S. Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA).

The Georgia GOP tweeted, “NEW VIDEO @Mike_Pence: ‘Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are wrong for Georgia and wrong for America.’”

Read More

Fulton County Quietly Rescanned More Than 12,000 Ballots Over ‘Unexplained Issues’

Wednesday evening, Fulton County elections officials conducted a rescan of over 12,000 ballots due to “unexplained technical problems.”

Republican Party of Georgia Chairman David Shafer tweeted the news as soon as he was informed by one of the county’s Republican commissioners, Liz Hausmann.

Read More