Georgia is becoming Trump's 'Achilles' heel' as he fails to exert political influence on the state: analysis

On Friday, CNN analyst Chris Cillizza outlined how Georgia is becoming former President Donald Trump's "Achilles' heel" — demonstrating the limits of his political power and continually frustrating him.

"First, Trump became the first Republican to lose Georgia in a presidential election in 28 years, in 2020," wrote Cillizza. "Then, Georgia emerged as the focal point of Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud, as he pushed state officials to overturn the election results — actions that are now under investigation by an Atlanta-area district attorney. And to cap it off, despite (or perhaps because of) Trump's best efforts, Republicans lost two Senate seats in Georgia in January 2021, handing Democrats control of the chamber."

All of this made Trump eager to leave his mark on the state, backing former Sen. David Perdue for governor as he ran on the former president's "Big Lie" that the election was stolen. But even that is going poorly.

"Now, one of the former President's top targets for defeat in 2022 — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, one of the officials who refused to go along with Trump's election schemes — has a commanding lead in the polls heading into the May 24 primary," said the report. "And a growing list of high-profile Republicans, including onetime Trump allies, are jumping in to help Kemp across the finish line — and deliver a blow to the former President."

One of the most prominent examples is Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, who is now stumping for Kemp even as Trump tries to have him thrown out.

"Even if they represent only a minority, there is clearly still a slice of the Republican Party that doesn't want to simply go down every road Trump takes them on. And symbolically, there are few better places for those Republicans to make a stand than Georgia," concluded Cillizza. "A loss in Georgia wouldn't do much to threaten Trump's status as the leader of the GOP. But given his history there and the Republicans who have lined up against him, it would be an especially stinging one."

You can read more here.