Georgia Republicans want Trump's endorsement — before it's too late
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Georgia Republicans want the president to endorse a candidate in their critical Senate primary. They’re hoping it doesn’t come too late. Some GOP strategists and officials are worried President Donald Trump will wait until the 11th hour to back his preferred Republican contender. His last-minute endorsement worked out fine for Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was likely already ahead in Texas. Not so much for Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), who lost his bid for governor on Tuesday, four days after Trump backed him. With early voting in Georgia's Republican Senate runoff less than two weeks away, some Republicans are warning that the timeline for Trump to tilt the scale in the race is closing. Both Rep. Mike Collins, a loyal Trump ally, and former college football coach Derek Dooley amped up their jockeying for Trump’s support after last month’s initial primary. “The window is starting to close,” said Casey Cagle, a former Georgia lieutenant governor who is supporting Collins in the Senate race. “Candidates have to spend time and resources to make sure people know about the endorsement.” That ticking clock is only adding to the speculation of when the president might leave his mark on the race. "I wouldn't want Trump to get in at the last minute down here. What happened in Iowa could happen in Georgia next and continue to ruin the president’s win streak," said one person connected to the Georgia Senate race who, like others in this article, was granted anonymity to speak openly about the state of play of the runoff. Republicans are eager for Trump to step in and help unify their party around either Collins or Dooley as they face an uphill battle to defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who they widely acknowledge is a formidable opponent. Ossoff, who has led by a relatively comfortable margin in public polls, has built a massive campaign war chest and avoided a messy primary of his own to coast into the general election. That makes the urgency for Republicans to c