Trump returns to Georgia confronting test of his grip on GOP

donald trump
Former President Donald Trump arrives at a rally, March 12, 2022, in Florence, S.C. Trump wants to use November's midterm elections to solidify his continued dominance of the national Republican Party. Few places are more central to that effort than Georgia. Enraged that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp didn't advance lies that the state's free and fair presidential election was stolen, Trump recruited former Sen. David Perdue to run against him in the May 24 primary. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

In Donald Trump’s push to fundamentally reshape the Republican Party, few places are a higher priority than Georgia.

The former president has issued highly-coveted endorsements in races ranging from governor to state insurance commissioner. His backing of football legend Herschel Walker essentially cleared a path to the party’s nomination for a critical U.S. Senate seat.

Trump has taken a particularly active role in shaping the governor’s race, recruiting former Sen. David Perdue to challenge incumbent Brian Kemp as retribution for Kemp not going along with lies about the 2020 election being stolen. And in an effort to clear a path for Perdue, Trump pressed another Republican in the race — Vernon Jones — to run for Congress instead.