CHAMBLEE, Ga. (AP) — Being as well known as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger would be a dream for many ambitious politicians.“I think most people by now know who I am,” the Republican candidate for governor joked Tuesday as someone put up signs with his name before a speech in the Atlanta suburb of Chamblee.But that fame may wound Raffensperger in next Tuesday’s primary because it stems from opposing Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential victory in 2020. He was one of a few Georgia leaders who earned Trump’s scorn by rejecting his falsehoods, and even though Raffensperger won reelection in 2022, many Republicans still view him as a traitor. Now the 70-year-old is spending millions of his own money trying to reintroduce himself as the person he was before that moment in the spotlight.“I really think I need to let people know that I’m actually a conservative Christian businessman,” Raffensperger told reporters recently. “If you don’t realize, that’s where I cut my teeth.”
It’s unclear whether Republican voters are willing to forgive Raffensperger’s political heresy in a party that remains in thrall to Trump. He’s faced threats over the years, and spokesperson Ryan Mahoney said Raffensperger was informed of a credible one Monday as he began flying around the state on a campaign swing.
