ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed David Shafer for another term as the chair of the Georgia state Republican Party, after Shafer helped stoke false claims that fraud played a role in Trump’s election loss.
Shafer was elected party chair in 2019 after a failed bid for lieutenant governor. Party activists will decide whether he holds on to the position during their state convention in June. Also vying for the role is Jason Shepherd, the current chair of the Cobb County GOP.
Shafer has received criticism from some in his own party after the once reliably red state flipped for Democrats in the presidential race in November and in two U.S. Senate runoffs in January.
The former state senator helped spread false information about Georgia’s election after Trump’s loss, led a group of Republicans who tried to send an alternate slate of electoral college votes to Congress and joined in failed lawsuits seeking to overturn the election results.
Trump said in a statement that Shafer has done a “phenomenal job” as chairman of the state party. “No one in Georgia fought harder for me than David!” the statement said.
Shafer tweeted in response that he was grateful for Trump’s support.
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