Raffensperger, who rejected Trump's false election claims, is running for governor
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks to the media about early voting on Oct. 25, 2022, in Atlanta. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who gained national attention when he rejected President Trump's request to "find 11,780 votes" during the 2020 election, is running to become Georgia's next governor.
Why it matters: Raffensperger angered the Republican Party's MAGA wing when he rebuked Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Now he's running in a field that includes a Trump-endorsed rival.
What they're saying: In a video Wednesday announcing his candidacy, Raffensperger says he's a "conservative Republican" who is "prepared to make the tough decisions."
- "I follow the law and the Constitution and I always do the right thing for Georgia, no matter what," he said.
- His agenda includes lowering property taxes, expanding parental control over education and banning "biological men from women's sports and transgender surgeries for minors."
The intrigue: In the video, Raffensperger does not take aim at fellow Republican gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr.
- He instead criticizes Stacey Abrams and Joe Biden as "left‑wing radicals," accusing them of trying to block implementation of SB 202 — Georgia's 2021 election law that overhauled voting rules.
State of play: Raffensperger's announcement comes a day after fellow Trump critic Geoff Duncan, who recently switched parties to become a Democrat, jumped into the governor's race.
- Both men pushed back against Trump's false claims of voter fraud in Georgia during the 2020 election, and while Duncan has kept up his criticism of the president, Raffensperger has remained silent.
Catch up quick: Raffensperger was first elected secretary of state in 2018 and was reelected in 2022.
- Before running for statewide office, Raffensperger served two terms in the state House of Representatives. He was also a city council member in Johns Creek, an affluent north metro Atlanta suburb.
Flashback: Raffensperger rose to national prominence when a recording of an hour-long phone call between him and Trump in early January 2021 was obtained by the Washington Post.
- During that call, the president repeated baseless and debunked conspiracy theories about the election, to which Raffensperger responded, "Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."
- Trump later said during the exchange: "I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state."
- Biden won Georgia by 11,779 votes.
Raffensperger's refusal to follow Trump's orders resulted in him and his family receiving death threats months after the 2020 election.
- In his book "Integrity Counts," Raffensperger said he ran into men who were possibly staking out his home and had to be escorted out of the state Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when pro-Trump protesters entered the building, according to the Guardian.
The big picture: Trump's victory in the 2024 election, which included securing Georgia's electoral college votes, shows he remains a popular figure in the Republican Party.
- Now that Jones has the highly coveted endorsement of Trump, Raffensperger and Carr will have to work harder to chip away at any MAGA support Jones may receive in the primary.
- And the Democratic Party of Georgia is already asserting Raffensperger will have to toe the MAGA line in order to "pay the price of admission" to the 2026 Republican primary.
- "We'll see if Raffensperger can successfully out-MAGA Burt Jones and Chris Carr to win this messy, bruising primary," the DPG said Wednesday in a statement.
What we're watching: Raffensperger's rejection of Trump's false claims about the 2020 election happened nearly five years ago.
- That's an eternity in politics, so it's unclear if that will still resonate positively or negatively with voters.