Trump-endorsed candidate gives up in 'proxy fight between mainstream Republicans and MAGA'
MAGA-backed CJ Pearson had called for a recount after falling short in the Georgia House runoff. But now he's deciding to bow out to put all his efforts behind Donald Trump's reelection.
"Re-electing President Trump, keeping Georgia red, and fighting for America First policies in every corner of the country will be my priority through the November elections," the 21-year-old politician said. "Columbia County is my home and I'll never stop fighting of our Columbia county values on the political stage."
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Voters living in the district by Augusta favored Columbia County Commissioner Gary Richardson, who secured 60% of the vote.
Pearson fell short by over 20 points.
“I think it’s important that this re-count happens," Pearson said two weeks ago, initially telegraphing he was raring to question the results of the runoff. "The board of commissioners came together and said that this needed to occur, and for the board of elections to disregard that completely, I think it’s unsettling.”
Notably, a hand recount that he had initially called for would cost between $5,000 and $10,000 and delay certification that would leave the 125th District to be an empty seat for a lengthy chunk of the Legislative Session.
Pearson had tried to replace Republican Rep. Barry Fleming, who resigned to become a superior court judge.
As the March 12 Election Day neared, Pearson showed off his MAGA bonafides as a "Trump-endorsed candidate" captioning "HD-125 - President Trump and I need your support!" with a photo of him posing with thumbs pointed up with Trump.
He then used the same photo to accept the defeat.
"From day one, it was David vs. Goliath," wrote in a tweet. "Not me vs. my opponent, but me vs. Gov. Kemp's $100k spent on negative false attacks against me."
"Despite the outcome, at 21, I'm proud of our grassroots campaign that propelled us into the runoff."
He continued: "Here’s the good news: I've been fighting for Georgia and America's future for nearly a decade, and that won't change. God bless Georgia! Looking ahead to supporting President Trump and doing all I can to turn Georgia red in November!"
"The March 12 election was something of a proxy fight between mainstream Republicans and MAGA activists who backed Pearson," reporter Greg Bluestein said on Wednesday.