Former President Donald Trump held a brief tele-rally Monday evening for Jake Evans, who is competing in a GOP primary runoff Tuesday against Rich McCormick in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District.
Evans, who was endorsed by Trump a few weeks ahead of his primary in May, joined Trump on the phone as the former president gave remarks urging listeners to vote for Evans in the runoff.
Trump said, “Jake has been a fearless defender of our Constitution.”
“Jake risked his entire career — he took a big risk, his entire career actually — to fight for election integrity for Pennsylvania’s illegal and unconstitutional election law changes all the way to the United States Supreme Court,” Trump continued, referencing a case that Evans, an attorney specializing in election law, worked on ahead of 2020 that ultimately was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Evans and McCormick were the top two finishers in the primary, which took place May 24, but neither candidate reached the 50 percent threshold required to win the primary outright.
Evans came in about 20 points behind McCormick, a former military pilot and physician who ran for Congress once before and narrowly lost in that race to Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA).
Evans appeared on the tele-rally call with Trump, contending that Trump’s endorsement has “catapulted” his campaign forward.
“There’s a stark contrast in this race between a strident conservative, someone that’s going to fight for you, fight against the establishment, and then there’s another candidate who is more squishy, someone who is bought out by special interests,” Evans said as he urged “every patriot” to turn out for him in the race.
Jake Evans, left, and Rich McCormick, right, participate in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District GOP primary runoff debates on June 6, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
In addition to Trump’s backing, Evans is also being supported by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a prominent Georgia figure who formerly represented the Sixth District.
McCormick, on other hand, has the support of the well-funded conservative Club for Growth, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and a handful of members from Georgia’s congressional delegation, including Reps. Jody Hice, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Buddy Carter.
Trump closed his remarks Tuesday night by praising Evans for his positions on issues like the border crisis and crime, and deemed Evans a “MAGA warrior.”
“Jake will be your congressman. I think he will do an incredible job. The media’s been very tough on him. … He’s a good person, he’s a great gentleman, and he’s got a great future, so I support Jake Evans,” Trump said.
While Trump’s highly sought-after endorsement has successfully boosted winning primary candidates in other states, such as Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) in North Carolina and J.D. Vance (R) in Ohio, the former president has had a rockier go with his candidates in Georgia.
His marquee endorsement, former Sen. David Perdue, lost badly to Trump nemesis Gov. Brian Kemp in the gubernatorial primary. Trump’s chosen candidates for secretary of state, attorney general, and insurance commissioner also lost, while Senate candidate Herschel Walker and lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones both won.
Trump’s last two endorsed primary candidates in Georgia, Evans and former state Rep. Vernon Jones — who is facing trucking business owner Mike Collins in the Tenth District — will see the outcomes of their races decided Tuesday.
Write to Ashley Oliver at aoliver@breitbart.com. Follow her on Twitter at @asholiver.
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