Georgia GOP Convention kicks off in Columbus

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Convention in Indianapolis, on April 14, 2023.(AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)


The Georgia GOP Convention is underway in Columbus.

It features an appearance from former President Donald Trump and the election of a new state party chair.

WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali joined “All Things Considered” to report on the convention.

He said former State Senator Josh McKoon is one of the candidates to be the next state party chair.

“The number of new people participating in this process, its really encouraging, ahead of next year’s presidential election,” said Mckoon.

Former President Donald Trump is responsible for bringing in a significant portion of those new people, though others seem aligned to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

Rebecca Yardley, who is also running for party chair, pushes back on that thinking.

“I think we have to remind ourselves that an 80% friend is not your 20% enemy. We got to learn that we can support different candidates, we can have different beliefs, but we have to come together on the things that are important to us principles of the Republican Party,” said Yardley.

But Yardley accepts that will not happen overnight.

Dennis Futch is the third candidate in the race for state party chair and that election is tomorrow.