In case you forgot, there’s a special election next year to hold the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R. GA), who is leaving due to having Parkinson’s Disease. It looks like Governor Brian Kemp (R. GA) has made his decision on who to appoint to the seat:
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is reportedly expected next week to select financial executive Kelly Loeffler to fill the Senate seat to be vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is stepping down at the end of the year due to health issues.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Kemp is slated to announce Loeffler as his pick next week, a move that would be counter to Trump’s preferred selection of Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.). The Hill has confirmed the report that Kemp will choose Loeffler, according to a source familiar with Kemp's thinking.
Kemp will announce his decision to have Loeffler fill Isakson’s seat at a press conference next week, according to the news outlet, citing several unidentified senior GOP officials.
Kemp’s office declined to comment to the Journal-Constitution and The Hill regarding his potential choice.
Kemp’s reported selection comes after he met with Trump at the White House on Sunday, with the two reportedly have a tense disagreement regarding who should fill the soon-to-be-open seat.
The meeting ended quickly, with Trump arguing that it could be politically risky to appoint Loeffler as she has less political experience than Collins, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The right-wing news site, The Daily Caller, is hyping up a potential GOP bloodbath:
Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins did not rule out a primary challenge to whomever is appointed to his state’s open Senate seat during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
The governor of Georgia is expected to name Georgia GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson’s successor sometime this week after Isakson announced in August he would step down from his position due to ailing health. The governor appears poised to appoint business executive Kelly Loeffler, despite a lobbying effort by grassroots conservatives and the White House to pick Collins.
Collins said his focus right now is fighting House Democratic efforts to impeach the president; however, he did not rule out running for Senate in 2020.
“The governor still has that appointment to be made. I appreciate the support I’ve received from the president and many others, but right now as you can see in this interview this morning, I have a big job to do in the next three weeks, and that’s impeachment,” Collins told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace.
And to makes things even more entertaining, look who wants to jump in and really fuck shit up:
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) warned Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Friday that he could face a primary challenger when running for reelection if he doesn’t select President Trump’s favored candidate for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).
Gaetz’s tweet Friday comes amid reports that Kemp is expected to announce that financial executive Kelly Loeffler will be chosen over Trump’s preferred selection of Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.).
“You are ignoring his request because you THINK you know better than @POTUS,” Gaetz tweeted. “If you substitute your judgement for the President’s, maybe you need a primary in 2022. Let’s see if you can win one w/o Trump.”
Gaetz in a follow-up tweet said Kemp would be "hurting Trump" if he does not select Collins.
“It’s not the establishment you are screwing with your donor-induced stubbornness,” Gaetz wrote. “You are hurting President Trump. You know this because he told you.”
Can’t wait to break out the popcorn for this one. Trump’s popularity in Georgia is below water and the Democratic Presidential candidates are competitive in the Peach State. Having another hardcore Trumper like Collins may not be the best option for the GOP. Right now, former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman’s (D. CT) son, Matt Lieberman (D. GA), is the only declared Democrat in the special election but more Democrats are expected to join the race. Stay tuned.