Georgia Republicans panicked they are blowing their chances to hold onto both Senate seats: report

On Saturday, NPR reported that Georgia Republicans are worried that their own party's attack on the election process in the state — including by Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — could undermine their chances of holding those Senate seats in the runoff, and by extension, the GOP's majority in the chamber going into the Joe Biden presidency.

"The state's Republican election officials have repeatedly asserted there's been no evidence of widespread fraud," reported Emma Hurt. "But incumbent Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler have called on Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to resign without evidence. President Trump has also criticized Raffensperger and called out Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who received Trump's endorsement in 2018."

GOP officials in the state are reportedly scared that the "mixed messaging" attacking the integrity of the voting process for allowing Biden to win the state could suppress Republican turnout at the worst possible moment.

"We could be handing Chuck Schumer control of the Senate by the Republican disarray," said right-wing talk radio host Erick Erickson. "It's a little bit frustrating to see the Republicans squabbling with each other over this when frankly there's no sign that the election was stolen in Georgia." GOP strategist Brian Robinson agreed, saying, "You're seeing many Republicans now speaking out and saying, 'If we undermine faith in our election system, if we tell people that perhaps their votes didn't count, we are going to suppress our own vote.'"

Already, a Republican-aligned super PAC linked to Trump ally Roger Stone is urging Georgia voters to "write in" Trump to punish the party for not doing enough to stand with the outgoing president — something that wouldn't even be possible since there is no write-in line on a runoff ballot, but that still has GOP officials worried it could reduce turnout.

Perdue and Loeffler, both of whom are tainted by stock-trading scandals, are facing Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock. Trump himself has gotten involved, setting up a campaign event with the Republican incumbents.