ROME, Ga. – Look no further than the T-shirts greeting arrivals at one of the state’s biggest GOP gatherings for evidence of the former president’s enduring grip on the party. Shirts and signs proclaiming “Trump Won” were there for the taking.
Throughout the Floyd County GOP event under an airy pavilion at the fairgrounds, Donald Trump’s presence was a constant.
Candidates promised to “drain the swamp” and promote his claims of widespread election fraud, even though they were rejected by the states, the courts and eventually Congress. Others promised to make him proud in state or federal office.
While most of the top candidates trekked to Rome, the event was also notable for the no-shows. Football great Herschel Walker, seen as a likely contender for U.S. Senate, skipped the event. So did Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, who are both seeking reelection.
The warmest welcome went to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, who hinted at internal GOP warfare in next year’s Republican primary. The freshman congresswoman who represents Northwest Georgia has been criticized by those who say she has racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic views, though her supporters celebrate her Trump-like say-anything approach.