Watkinsville, Georgia (CNN)David Perdue and Donald Trump often say that Gov. Brian Kemp has irrevocably divided Georgia Republicans.
"He has alienated a good part of the Republican Party," Perdue said on a humid evening in late April to a group of voters in Oconee County, a short drive from the University of Georgia. "I hate it. It shouldn't be that way. But it's a reality."
But while many Republican voters in the state were frustrated with how Kemp handled the 2020 presidential election results -- he refused to reverse Joe Biden's victory, much to Trump's chagrin -- even some of the most committed Perdue voters say they'll support Kemp in the general election should he emerge as the victor of the May 24 primary. After all, the eventual GOP nominee will face off in November against Democrat Stacey Abrams, the arch-villain for Georgia Republicans who one operative described to CNN as the "great unifier" for the GOP.
"If Kemp wins, then we need to back him," said Tammy Paulson of Watkinsville, who is voting for Perdue, the former senator, in the primary.
Don and Sharon Doherty, two Perdue supporters from Winterville, said the same thing. And Kelly from Watkinsville, who declined to give her last name, said she was so angry with Kemp for his inaction during 2020. But she nodded her head resignedly when asked if she'd back Kemp if he won the primary.
"I would have to vote for him," she admitted.
The former President, who is Perdue's most prominent backer, has spent more than...
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