Georgia's Senate seats continue to be a source of tension for conservatives. In December, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appointed now-Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a former businesswoman, to fill the vacancy following the retirement of Sen. Johnny Isakson. But pro-life groups protested, pointing out that she sat on the board of one of the largest abortion providers in the state of Georgia. These pro-life conservatives even went so far to say that Loeffler's appointment was a "mockery." Gov. Kemp's team tried to quell those concerns by assuring voters Loeffler was pro-life, pro-military, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-business and those same pro-life groups now support her.
Yet President Trump was opposed to the appointment too, telling Kemp that he wanted Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) for the job. It's now weeks later, and it seems the congressman has decided to give it a go.
GOP groups like the National Republican Senatorial Committee are outraged by Collins's "shortsighted" decision.
“The shortsightedness in this decision is stunning. Doug Collins’ selfishness will hurt David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, and President Trump," NRSC Executive Director Kevin McLaughlin said in a statement. "Not to mention the people of Georgia who stand to bear the burden of it for years to come. All he has done is put two senate seats, multiple house seats, and Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in play. The NRSC stands firmly behind Sen. Kelly Loeffler and urges anyone who wants to re-elect President Trump, hold the GOP senate majority, and stop socialism to do the same.”
It remains to be seen where Trump will come down in this fight, considering that Sen. Loeffler has been squarely in his camp throughout the impeachment fight. She even risked making things awkward in the Senate chamber by publicly ridiculing her colleague Mitt Romney for wanting to hear from the Democrats' preferred witness, John Bolton.
Then again, Rep. Collins actually sits on Trump's impeachment defense team. As the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, he challenged chairman Jerry Nadler at every turn during the House impeachment inquiry.
“We fought for the president, we fought for the state and we fought for this country, and we’re going to continue to do that, and I look forward to the exchange of ideas, and I look forward to this election,” Collins said in his announcement on Fox News.