Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler said she had no plans to drop out of the contest to keep her Senate seat despite a stock-trading controversy.
“Not only am I not dropping out, but I’m gonna win,” the Republican told Politico. “And no one’s going to intimidate me into thinking that that’s the right course for our party, for our state, for our country. I’m working hard to help reelect the president. I’m working hard to win my seat and keep the Senate in Republican hands.”
Loeffler has had a rocky few months since being appointed to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned in December 2019 due to health concerns.
Loeffler was one of several senators accused of insider trading ahead of the coronavirus-induced stock market drop, although she maintains that she did nothing wrong. The senator’s office says she has turned over all relevant financial documents to the FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Senate Ethics Committee.
Loeffler said she believes the criticisms surrounding her stock sales were part of a larger attack on free enterprise by the media.
“This is the liberal media attacking someone who supports free enterprise. I’m not going to be deterred by it,” she said.
Loeffler, who made millions of dollars as a businesswoman before entering office, said she was surprised to be attacked from both sides over her financial history.
“I knew I’d be attacked for my success, and I knew it would come from the Left,” she said. “What’s been surprising is it’s come from the Right, as well. And I think that’s shameful.”
In a poll from earlier this week, Loeffler trailed Rep. Doug Collins in the jungle primary for her seat. The Civiqs/Daily Kos poll showed Loeffler trailing Collins with 12% support and 34% support, respectively.
But Loeffler pointed to a different poll from Public Opinion Strategies conducted from May 4 to May 7 that showed a closer race, with Collins at 19% support and Loeffler at 18%.
“I’m in a statistical tie for first, but that is going to be decided in November by the people of Georgia,” she said. “And if we believed polls, then Hillary Clinton would be president, and Stacey Abrams would be the governor of Georgia.”
