'An Embarrassment For Our State': Sens. Perdue and Loeffler Call on Georgia Secretary of State to Resign

Reagan McCarthy | November 09, 2020 3:45 PM

Update: Secretary Raffensperger responded to Sens. Perdue and Loeffler, telling them that voters will be the one to fire him:

The response from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: “Let me start by saying that is not going to happen. The voters of Georgia hired me, and the voters will be the one to fire me.” #gapol pic.twitter.com/ZBXv4G4gHO
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) November 9, 2020

Original Post: As Georgia heads to a recount, GOP Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are calling on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to resign his position. The pair of incumbent Republicans, ahead of their January runoff elections, deem Georgia’s electoral management “an embarrassment,” in a blistering statement released on Monday.

“The management of Georgia elections has become an embarrassment for our state. Georgians are outraged, and rightly so. We have been clear from the beginning: every legal vote cast should be counted. Any illegal vote must not. And there must be transparency and uniformity in the counting process. This isn't hard. This isn't partisan. This is American. We believe when there are failures, they need to be called out -- even when it's in your own party,” Sens. Perdue and Loeffler said on Monday. “There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems. While blame certainly lies elsewhere as well, the buck ultimately stops with the Secretary of State. The mismanagement and lack of transparency from the Secretary of State is unacceptable. Honest elections are paramount to the foundation of our democracy. The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections. He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately."

The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in light of potential voter irregularities and hopes that a recount in Georgia will lead to a victory for the president. His campaign’s chief counsel, Matt Morgan, cited “the lack of transparency in the tabulation process,” and pointed to “reports of irregularities and improper ballot harvesting in Georgia.”