Georgia Secretary Of State Shoots Down GOP Senate Candidates' Call For Resignation

KEY POINTS

Republicans call for Republican state secretary of state to resign
The election had too many problems, Republican senators say
Secretary of State Raffensperger said illegal votes were cast in the election in his state

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Monday said he would continue to uphold his sworn duties in office despite calls for his resignation.

Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both Republicans, said in a joint statement Monday that there were too many “failures” in the Georgia election this year to let Raffensperger, also a Republican, remain in office.

“The secretary of state has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections” the joint statement read. “He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately."

Loeffler and Perdue will face Democratic challengers in a Jan. 5 runoff because none of the candidates reached the 50% threshold necessary for an outright win. Loeffler will face Raphael Warnock, an Atlanta pastor and community leader, while Perdue faces Jon Ossoff, a former congressional staffer and investigative reporter.

In a statement posted on the Twitter account for his state office, Raffensperger dismissed the calls for his resignation. He acknowledged Republican frustrations but said he had a job to do as the duly-elected secretary of state.

“One of my duties involves helping to run elections for all Georgia voters,” he said in a statement. “I have taken that oath, and I will execute that duty and follow Georgia law.”

As an elected official, Raffensperger said it was up to the voters to decide his tenure in office.

He continued by saying he was “sure” there were votes cast illegally in Georgia, but it’s unlikely to change the outcome for incumbent President Donald Trump.

Voters in Georgia could cast their ballots early this election cycle. Voters faced exceptionally long lines in early voting because of problems with outdated computer equipment. State officials initially attributed the hours-long waits to heavy turnout, but later acknowledged there were computer networking issues.

Raffensperger himself secured his seat in office in a 2018 runoff against Democrat John Barrow.