Did You Lose a Georgia Senate Election? Trump Has a Job for You

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What's New

President-elect Donald Trump nominated several Republicans who lost Georgia Senate elections in the past few years to his administration.

In Trump's latest round of administration picks, he announced that he plans to appoint Herschel Walker, a former football player who lost to Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in Georgia's 2022 Senate race, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas on Tuesday.

"During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump has so far nominated three other Republicans who lost recent Georgia Senate races to his administration, picking former Senator Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration, former Senator David Perdue as ambassador to China and former Representative Doug Collins as Veterans Affairs secretary.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Trump has announced key cabinet appointees since his victory against Vice President Kamala Harris in last month's presidential race. Some of those picks will likely face scrutiny during their Senate confirmation hearing next year.

Trump's cabinet picks from Georgia will have the authority to craft Washington's approach to key issues. The United States has a tense relationship with China, where Perdue will serve as ambassador, and diplomacy over the next few years will likely be a key priority for the incoming administration, particularly amid Trump's support for tariffs on Chinese goods.

Donald Trump cabinet Georgia Senate races
President-elect Donald Trump in Zebulon, Georgia, on October 23. Trump has appointed four Republicans who lost recent Georgia Senate bids to his administration, including former football player Herschel Walker. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

What To Know

Until this year, Georgia had steadily shifted toward Democrats in previous presidential races due to growth in Atlanta and its suburbs, where Republicans have lost support in the Trump era. President Joe Biden narrowly carried the Peach State four years ago, but Trump flipped it back in November.

The state still shifted right by a smaller amount than the nation as a whole, giving Democrats some optimism about carrying it again in a stronger national environment.

Republicans have lost every Senate race in Georgia since 2020. Warnock defeated Loeffler, appointed to replace former Senator Johnny Isakson, who retired in 2019. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff unseated Perdue, first elected in 2014. Collins placed third in the blanket primary behind Warnock and Loeffler.

Two years later, Warnock defeated Walker despite hopes that a "red wave" fueled by Biden's unpopularity would help carry him across the finish line in the traditionally GOP-leaning state. Warnock won by just under three points.

It was among the most stinging losses for Republicans during the midterms, and many Republicans blamed the loss on what they viewed as poor candidate quality and other scandals that plagued the campaign.

What People Are Saying

Eric Michael Garcia, a journalist for The Independent, on X: "Will Ossoff and Warnock vote to confirm him?"

Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, on X: "The amount of damage Herschel Walker can do as ambassador to the Bahamas is not zero. But it is so close to zero that we don't have the ability to measure it with any meaningful level of confidence."

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, on X: "Good pick!"

What Happens Next

Confirmations will be held for each position next year, and it's not clear right now whether these picks will face significant resistance from senators.

Trump should have an easy time with most of his picks, as Republicans will hold 53 Senate seats next year. However, some of his nominations, including former Representative Tulsi Gabbard as national intelligence director and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, have stirred criticism.

The picks from Georgia, so far, have received less scrutiny.

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