(COLUMBUS, Ga.) — As the news cycle speeds up more and more through the years, sometimes events coincide in remarkable ways. Today is the first day of the Georgia Republican Party’s statewide convention, an event that’s slated to highlight many of the most fervent 2020 election deniers across the nation.
It’s also the day that arguably the loudest election denier of all, former President Donald Trump, will speak.
He’s welcomed by a coalition of far-right Georgia Republicans, who have been championing a party rule change which would allow the Georgia Republican Assembly to prevent candidates from running as Republicans. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, the measure seemed unlikely to pass in the first place - but its advancement through the party’s works represents yet another attack on Governor Brian Kemp from the right.
The hardliners said that the measure would give them the power to block ‘traitors’ and ‘RINOs’ from the party, two labels commonly given to Republicans perceived as insufficiently conservative.
Debbie Dooley, co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party, spoke with the AJC, warning that the rule change could be used as a tool by establishment types to punish far-right activists.
“Grassroots conservatives complain all the time about a few legislators getting in a room and making decisions on what bills get a vote,” she said. “Yet, a rule change is being proposed that would allow a handful of folks to decide who gets to run as a Republican.”
The rule change has been sidelined for now, but could theoretically be raised again by supporters during Saturday’s floor debate.