Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's Secretary of State and the man who made himself a media darling by lecturing President Trump about the 2020 election, just got absolutely humiliated in the Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary on May 20th. He didn't just lose — he failed to even make the runoff, pulling a pathetic 15.0% with 21% of estimated votes counted while two other candidates sailed past him.
The irony is so thick you could spread it on a biscuit. The guy who lectured the world about election integrity couldn't even win his own election.
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones — endorsed by President Trump — led the field at 36.6%, followed by healthcare businessman Rick Jackson at 35.0%. Those two will now head to a June 16 runoff to replace term-limited Governor Brian Kemp. And Raffensperger? He gets to go home and think about where it all went wrong.
Spoiler alert, Brad: it went wrong when you decided to become CNN's favorite Republican.
Jackson, who reportedly spent $80 million of his own money on advertising, ran as the ultimate outsider. "Barely more than 100 days ago, we sent an earthquake through the political establishment when we entered the race," Jackson said. He hammered the point home for voters who are sick of career politicians: "I'm the opposite. I don't owe the lobbyists anything."
And unlike Raffensperger, Jackson clearly read the room. "I cannot be bought, and I will not back down," he declared. Refreshing words from a guy who doesn't need to cozy up to MSNBC to raise his profile.
Meanwhile, Jones — who has served in Georgia politics for 14 years — had the Trump endorsement in his pocket, and it showed. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also ran but couldn't catch the top two.
As reported by 100 Percent Fed Up, this was a thorough rejection of the establishment lane that Raffensperger thought he owned. He banked everything on being the "reasonable Republican" — the one who stood up to Trump. Turns out, Georgia Republican voters didn't want reasonable. They wanted someone who actually represents them.
Let's be honest about what happened here. Raffensperger became a household name for one reason: that phone call. The media lionized him. Democrats praised his courage. Liberal pundits said he was the future of the GOP.
Georgia voters said otherwise. By a margin that wasn't even close.
This is what happens when you build your brand on opposing the base that's supposed to vote for you. You end up in third place, giving a concession speech to a room that stopped listening a long time ago. Brad Raffensperger didn't just lose a governor's race — he lost a referendum on himself. And brother, it wasn't even competitive.