Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has defied pressure from President Donald Trump and chosen Republican donor and businesswoman Kelly Loeffler for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Johnny Isakson, Axios reported Monday.
Trump has been pressing Kemp to pick Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., a strong backer of the president who would be certain to vote against removal if there is an impeachment trial in the Senate.
Hardline conservatives have also criticized Loeffler for donating to such establishment Republicans as Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.
Staunch Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., slammed Kemp on Twitter, saying, "If you substitute your judgment for the president's, maybe you need a primary in 2022. Let's see if you can win one w/o Trump."
One of Kemp's considerations in choosing Loeffler was reportedly to boost the Republican Party's appeal to the state's suburban women, who have been abandoning the party in recent years, according to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Collins said if he is not chosen to fill the vacancy, he would strongly think about running for the Senate seat in next year's special election.
That could cause havoc in the Gerogia GOP, because the special election will include all candidates from all parties on the same ballot, meaning if multiple Republican run it could split the conservative vote and hand the victory to a Democrat if that party unites behind a single candidate.
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