Georgia rally-goers still emphatic about Trump, but where do they stand on his picks for 2022? – Online Athens

A sea of blue David Perdue campaign signslined the dragway in Commerce on Saturday.

Volunteers handed out signs and stickers promoting the former senator, who is now running for governor of Georgia. And when former President Donald Trump, who headlined the rally as part of his Save America tour,came on stage he gave his glowing support for Perdue.

David Perdue is going to be your next governor, Trump said to a crowd of thousands, hes going to do an incredible job."

But the strength of Trumps endorsement will be tested in May, when Gov. Brian Kemp faces Perdue in the Republican primary on the path to a re-election. While Trump rally-goers remained emphatic over the former president, his endorsed candidates drew mixed responses from attendees.

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Speakers began at 4 p.m. on Saturday but the festivities started that morning as early bird supporters lined up as soon as they could. The event was held at the Banks County Dragway, former home of the NHRA Southern Nationals,and on the surrounding grounds, a tailgate like atmosphere brewed as vendors and merchants set up shop.

Tents and tables cluttered the greenspace with shirts, flags, and political volunteers handing out leaflets. Trump supporters milled around the grounds before doors opened and the Athens Banner-Herald spoke with them about their key issues.

When asked why they were attending, some responded they were there for the whole lineup of politicians. While some attendees had their favorites, many were in support of all of Trumps endorsements.

However, for some, the slate of Trump-backed candidates drew a mixed response.

Each of the speakers on Saturday have Trumps stamp of approval, including Perdue, former Georgia Bulldogs standout Herschel Walker (running for Senate), and Rep. Jody Hice (running for secretary of state). In cases like Perdue, that endorsement has carried some but not overwhelming weight as they face off against members of their own party in May.

While signs for Perdue covered grounds, nowhere to be seen was a display of support for Kemp, who is currently on the outs with Trump over the handling of the 2020 presidential election and its results.

A Trump supporter and Herschel Walker volunteer named Robin Sheppard attended the rally with friends, all of whom said they did not support Perdue in his run for governor.

Sheppard said that Trumps endorsement of Perdue did not matter to her, comparing him to dry toast, and she called herself a free thinker who is not going to support someone just because she is told to.

I was raised to be a leader and not a follower, Sheppard said. I make my determinations based on my research.

Sheppard and other volunteers were not necessarily supportive of incumbent Kemp, either. Instead, they preferred Kandiss Taylor, a candidate for governor who is not currently entangled in the Trump endorsement battle.

Taylor, a Republicanfrom South Georgia and a former educator, toutsher focus on Jesus, Guns, and Babies with platform goals of gun rights, election reform, immigration, education, pro-life legislation and the economy.

A member of Preserve Georgia Rights, who would only give the name Jeff, threw his support behind Taylor due to her educational background. He said he is currently concerned with thetrend Georgias schools are headed in, and felt Taylor was the best choice to address this. He added she would be best to address election integrity over Perdue.

If you dont have a fair election, then what do you have? he said.

But other staunch supporters fell in line with Trumps slate of endorsed candidates.

A Chinese Conservative volunteer group, with members from Fulton County and across Georgia, made their support for Perdue known immediately, saying that Perdue being elected governorwas one of their main priorities. When asked which other candidates on Saturday they supported, they said anyone endorsed by Trump.

We like Perdue as governor because three things: Number one, he was endorsed by Trump and Republicans [have]to be united behind him and he is the only one that who can beat Stacey Abrams, said Shan Davis, a member of the Chinese conservative group.

The Nguyen family, residents of Towns County,also supported Trumps picks. Shannon Nguyen and two of her children attended the rally, with the mother saying that not only does she support the endorsed candidates, but her husband, who was not in attendance, is very much in support of President Trump and anybody that he endorses.

We support all the Trump endorsed candidates, said Nguyen

Trump rallies in the past have drawn tens of thousands of attendees, but the gathering in Commerce was a fraction of that, with top Georgia political reporters estimating 5,000 attendees.

Greg Bluestein, a political reporter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, tweeted that the rally was smaller than others he had covered, and Stephen Fowler with Georgia Public Broadcasting backed up that statement, adding that it was smaller than even Trump's recent rally in Perry, which Fowler estimated to have hosted 10,000 attendees.

The former president was scheduled to speak at 7 p.m., but attendees waitedmore than an hour before Trump arrived on stage. While waiting, the crowd grew increasingly impatient and chants of Trump or we want Trump intermittently came and went, unsuccessful in their attempts to draw out the former president.

When he did come out to speak in an address that lasted an hour and a half a large portion of the crowd trickled out before his appearance concluded.

Trumps speech attempted to further display the ongoing rift in the Republican party, calling out the RINOs, a shorthand for Republicans in name only, and how his candidates were instead stronger.

We first have to defeat the RINO sellouts and the losers in the primaries, said Trump.

Trump had Perdue return to the stage for an encore as the former president renounced his previous endorsement of current governor Kemp, adding that you cant win them all.

Trump criticized Kemps negotiations of a $5 billion Rivian plant in Morgan and Walton counties, saying that the governor has sold out Georgians. That statement, however, drew a lackluster response from the crowd, which was not quick to cheer on the idea that theelectric vehicle plant from Kemp was a bad move.

The location of the Saturday rally is the future home to an in-the-works Kemp-backed vehicle battery plant, which the governor indicated wasfantastic news for Georgias growing electric vehicle industry.

The crowd, however, did cheer as Perdue touted claims of a rigged election and pushed the blame onto Kemp, with the crowd exclaiming lock him up!

The May primary will be the next test of whether Trump can sway Georgia voters. If his endorsed candidates do win, it will put to the test Trumps theory that his preferredcandidates have what it takes to beat Democrats in the November midterm elections.

Mister future governor I hope, David, youre going to be the governor, Trump said, or I just wasted a hell of a lot of time here tonight.

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Georgia rally-goers still emphatic about Trump, but where do they stand on his picks for 2022? - Online Athens