Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s run for governor will test the Republican Party’s tolerance of dissent over the 2020 election.

The man who famously resisted President Trump’s claims of a stolen election in Georgia is now vying for the state’s highest office and also challenging the dominance of the MAGA movement within the state GOP.

“People looking for someone who is honest, someone who has integrity, and someone who will tell them the truth always, no matter how hard it is to hear, I am their candidate,” Mr. Raffensperger told The Washington Times on Thursday.

Mr. Raffensperger is campaigning on a platform centered on affordability. He advocates for the elimination of the state income tax and proposes tax incentives to ease the burden of child care. Combating crime and strengthening public education are also on top of his to-do list.

Despite his high-profile conflict with Mr. Trump, Mr. Raffensperger has praised the president’s efforts to curb illegal immigration at the southern border.

“I think I am aligned with the national mood right now and the national political structures,” he said.

Still, the road ahead is steep. Mr. Trump has thrown his full support behind Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, whose campaign is buoyed by the MAGA movement’s growing influence over the state party.

“Burt Jones is the only true conservative in this race, with a record of lowering taxes, protecting girls’ sports, giving pay raises to law enforcement, and championing school choice — which is why he has President Trump’s full endorsement,” said Jones spokesperson Kayla Lott. “His opponents? Nothing but Democrats in disguise.”

Mr. Jones also supported Mr. Trump’s challenge of the Georgia election results in 2020.

Still, Mr. Raffensperger remains undaunted in the 2026 race for governor.

“You need to look at what I did in 2022,” Mr. Raffensperger said, referencing his reelection victory over Rep. Jody Hice. “You had someone endorsed by President Trump, well-financed, and I beat him without a runoff.”

Mr. Raffensperger also noted that in the general election, he earned a higher share of the vote than Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally, in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, suggesting his appeal reaches beyond the MAGA base and into broader Republican and independent circles.

Mr. Raffensperger was thrust into the national spotlight after receiving the now-infamous phone call in which Mr. Trump urged him to “find” enough votes to overturn Joseph R. Biden’s win in Georgia — the first Democratic presidential victory in the state since Bill Clinton in 1992.

Mr. Raffensperger stood firm, defending the election’s integrity and declaring the results free and fair. 

Months later, Mr. Trump sought revenge, endorsing Mr. Hice’s bid to oust him.

Now, as Mr. Raffensperger sets his sights on the governor’s mansion, new challenges await.

Jay Williams, a Georgia-based Republican strategist, says the terrain has shifted. Not only is Mr. Trump back in office, but there are also likely to be far fewer crossover voters this election cycle, given that most Democrats will be casting votes in their competitive primary. 

Mr. Williams also said Mr. Jones will likely be a tougher opponent than Mr. Hice.

“I look at it from an X’s and O’s standpoint,” he said. “If they just played a bad team, that doesn’t make them a good team just because they won.”

He added that Mr. Raffensperger also “doesn’t have the luxury of being the only non-Trump person in the race.”

Attorney General Chris Carr, another Trump critic, is also in the race, potentially splitting the anti-Trump vote. 

Questions linger about whether Mr. Raffensperger’s reserved demeanor — more reminiscent of Mitt Romney than Ms. Greene — can connect with voters in an era of intense polarization, where the loudest voices are often rewarded.

Mr. Raffensperger’s voting record in the statehouse, where he served from 2015 to 2019, is also sure to face scrutiny.

Chris LaCivita, a top strategist for Trump’s 2024 campaign, offered a blunt take on Mr. Raffensperger’s gubernatorial bid: “Americans dislike turncoats — and this guy is a turncoat.”

Asked about the comment, Mr. Raffensperger said, “I did the right thing.”

“My Christian faith teaches me to always do the right thing,” he said. “And you know what? I did the right thing to make Georgia the safest place, the best place to cast your ballot in America.”

Mr. Raffensperger’s allies are confident he has a path to victory that lies in appealing to moderate Republicans disillusioned with Trump and Democrats who are uninterested in their own party’s primary, which currently features former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican-turned-Democrat who has long criticized Mr. Trump’s grip on the GOP.

To avoid a runoff, a candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote on election night.

The gubernatorial race is unfolding alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff’s reelection campaign, which is expected to be among the nation’s most expensive and most-watched Senate races.

Widely seen as the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate, Mr. Ossoff faces a trio of Trump-aligned challengers: Reps. Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, and former college football coach Derek Dooley.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.