Georgia Republican Party delegates gather in Dalton, Ga. for the second day of their 2025 convention. (WABE/Rahul Bali)
This story was updated on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 7:39 p.m.
Delegates at the Georgia GOP convention in Dalton on Saturday passed a resolution that would not allow Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to qualify as a Republican for elected office, with one reason citing that the elected official “does not have the faith and confidence of the Georgia Republican Party.”
A copy of the resolution to deny Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to qualify as a Republican for elected office. (Courtesy of Georgia GOP)
Before the resolution’s passage, convention delegate Carter Mitchell of Bibb County spoke to WABE about why he supported it.
“This is over issues with the, mostly Dominion voting machines, his role as the Secretary of State of Georgia,” he said. “This is, I think, a very, relatively popular, amendment or resolution.”
Mitchell says he is not anti-machine when it comes to voting, just against Georgia using Dominion voting machines.
As for whether the party can ban a candidate from the Republican ballot, Mitchell did not stray away from staunch support of the resolution.
“Well, if anyone’s going to do it, it’s going to be the Georgia state convention that does it,” he noted.
Speaking after the convention ended on Saturday, newly reelected party chair Josh McKoon said that while the resolution represents the sense of the convention delegates, the party must follow the law.
“And the law of the state of Georgia is pretty clear, with regards to qualifying. So if someone submits the appropriate paperwork, including the loyalty oath, unless there is a case to be made that the loyalty oath would involve false swearing, I don’t really see a way for the Georgia Republican Party to decline someone the opportunity to qualify,” McKoon said.
Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon is photographed on the second day of 2025 Georgia Republican Party Convention in Dalton, Ga. (Rahul Bali/WABE)
A significant portion of the opposition to McKoon’s reelection came from activists who continue to raise concerns about the state’s voting machines and advocate for the state to switch to hand-marked paper ballots.
Regarding the resolution, it claims that it would be unconstitutional to force the party to accept a candidate. It also calls on the party to defend itself against any legal action that comes up.
Raffensperger’s office had no comment on the resolution.
The Secretary of State has not announced his plans for 2026, which may include running for reelection, running for U.S. Senate or for governor of Georgia.
