Georgia Secretary of State: Trump Lost State Because He 'Depressed' GOP Vote

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says President Donald Trump could have won the state by 10,000 votes ― if he hadn’t discouraged the votes of his own supporters.

Instead, Democrat Joe Biden won the state by 14,000 votes. Trump has refused to concede the election to Biden and has made unfounded accusations of voter fraud.

Raffensperger, a Republican, ordered a recount. But he also told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB that the president hurt his own cause by discouraging mail-in voting, which he portrayed as a “scam.”

Raffensperger told the station that 24,000 Republican voters who voted absentee in the primary did not vote in the general election.

“Those 24,000 people did not vote in the fall,” Raffensperger said. “They did not vote absentee because they were told by the president, ‘Don’t vote absentee. It’s not secure.’ But then they did not come out and vote in person.”

“He actually depressed, suppressed his own voting base,” he added.

On Monday, Raffensperger also made news by accusing Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) of pressuring him to find ways to throw out legal ballots. Graham has denied that he did so.