Georgia Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue called on their state’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to resign on Monday over “failures” in the election process.
The two senators did not cite any evidence to back their claims, but seemed to join in the chorus of Trump supporters denouncing mail-in voting and baselessly alleging widespread voter fraud. Georgia narrowly flipped blue following Election Day, marking the first time the state has opted for a Democratic candidate since 1992.
“There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems,” Loeffler and Perdue said in a joint statement. “The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately.”
The two Republican senators both face runoff elections in January from Democratic challengers — potentially throwing the political make-up of the Senate (currently dominated by the GOP) into question. If both Republican incumbents lose re-election, the Senate will be tied 50-50 with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as tie-breaker.
Raffensperger said he would not step down in a statement on Monday and called the state’s handling of the election a “resounding success.”
“I know emotions are running high. Politics are involved in everything right now,” Raffensperger said. “If I was Senator Perdue, I’d be irritated I was in a runoff. And both Senators and I are all unhappy with the potential outcome for our President. But I am the duly elected Secretary of State. One of my duties involves helping to run elections for all Georgia voters. I have taken that oath, and I will execute that duty and follow Georgia law.”
He noted the possibility of a handful of illegal votes being cast, but said it was “unlikely” that illegal votes cast rose to the “numbers or margin necessary to change the outcome” of the election.
Raffensperger also criticized the two senators for focusing more on the presidential outcome, rather than their own upcoming runoff races.
“As a Republican, I am concerned about Republicans keeping the U.S. Senate,” he said. “I recommend that Senators Loeffler and Perdue start focusing on that.”
