Nikki Haley and Chris Christie, considered top contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, are leading a major effort to raise millions of dollars for a pair of Georgia runoff elections that will determine the balance of power in the Senate.
Christie, the former New Jersey governor, and Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations, are honorary co-chairs of Battleground Georgia, a joint fundraising committee that the National Republican Senatorial Committee formed with the campaigns of Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Christie is a close ally of President Trump; Haley served in the outgoing commander in chief’s Cabinet. The runoff elections are set for Jan. 5.
“Two Georgia Senate seats are all that stand between total Democrat control in Washington,” Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the NRSC chairman, said in a statement that tacitly acknowledged Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden. “Republicans will not let that happen on our watch.”
Young added: “I’m proud of the team we’ve built to ensure Senators Perdue and Loeffler have all the financial resources they need to be successful in January. Democrats’ ability to pass a socialist agenda hinges on victories in Georgia, and we’re committed to holding the line for the Senate Majority once more this cycle.”
Rounding out the list of Battleground Georgia honorary co-chairs are House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California; Haley Barbour, the former Mississippi governor and ex-chairman of the Republican National Committee; former Vice President Dan Quayle; and John James, who narrowly lost his bid for a Michigan Senate seat on Nov. 3. National co-chairs include Republican lobbyist Jeff Miller; GOP strategist Nick Ayers, the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence; and Georgia first lady Marty Kemp.
Karl Rove, adviser to George W. Bush’s two presidential campaigns, is national finance chairman. He has been raising money for the effort for weeks.
Senate Republicans finished the general election in control of 50 Senate seats. But if the Democrats win both Georgia runoffs on Jan. 5, they will capture the majority by virtue of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote. Both campaigns are expected to be competitive. Georgia emerged as a battleground this year, with Biden becoming the first Democrat to win the state’s Electoral College votes since 1992.
In a poll conducted this week, Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff were tied at 49% each, with 2% undecided. Loeffler trailed Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock 49% to 48%, with 3% undecided. In each race, the survey results are well within the margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
In addition to the honorary and national co-chairs, dozens of prominent Republicans from across the country have signed as state co-chairs to help raise cash for Battleground Georgia — a list that includes strategists, wealthy donors, and current and former elected officials. Here is a sampling:
- Former New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte
- Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey
- Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas
- Andy Abboud, adviser to GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson
- Florida donor and former ambassador Mel Sembler
