ATLANTA (NewsNation) — The Georgia case against former President Donald Trump is forcing Republican leaders in the state into a delicate balancing act as the 2024 election approaches.
The GOP will likely need to carry Georgia to bolster support for the party to take back the White House in 2024, and few states illustrate the current divide in the Republican Party like the Peach State.
On one hand, there’s Gov. Brian Kemp, R, who has become the de facto face of the GOP in Georgia. Like many Republicans, he won his statewide election handily back in November. He’s been vocal in his stance that the 2020 presidential election was not, as Trump has often claimed, stolen.
“For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward under oath and prove anything in a court of law,” Kemp said Tuesday in a statement.
On the other hand, you have Trump, who stands by his claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Trump’s Senate pick, Herschel Walker underperformed and lost.
The former president, according to polls, still has controlled the GOP base nationwide and is the clear front-runner to secure the 2024 presidential nomination.
But not so fast.
According to a June survey from Public Opinion Strategies, Trump would have a tough battle with sitting President Joe Biden in Georgia. But another Republican, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, would perform more favorably.
“A Democrat running against Trump — or someone who is very closely identified in the public mind with Trump — than Democrats win. But if a Democrat is running against a Republican who is not seen as being a Trump candidate, then the Republicans win,” said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
DeSantis’ campaign, however, has struggled lately. Last week, he announced a new campaign manager, which followed news of multiple sets of layoffs. The changes are part of a campaign reset in an effort to boost DeSantis in the polls.
The governor’s supporters maintain it’s still too early in the cycle to be writing his political obituary, but note that the first debate will be a significant test for DeSantis.
NewsNation affiliate The Hill contributed to this report.