'Traitors to the principles of the party': GOP in disarray as centrists flee far-right purity test

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports a far-right splinter group of the Georgia Republican Party appears to be further splintering.

Dozens of prominent Republican activists formally quit the far-right Georgia Republican Assembly with Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon joining the revolt.

The group, which labels itself the “Republican wing of the Republican Party”, is hotly anti-establishment and powerful, says AJC. It even successfully blocked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from running as a Republican in 2026.

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With tendrils in the old Tea Party movement that blossomed during the Obama administration, the GRA was the faction to appease when a GOP primary candidate needed to broadcast his or her conservative bonafides. But now AJC says the organization is backing a revived purity test lawsuit seeking to block candidates "who are insufficiently conservative — or, as one activist put it, 'traitors to the principles of the party' — from qualifying on the GOP ticket."

“Frankly, I do not know how I can continue to maintain membership in an organization that is contemplating or planning to file a civil action against the organization that I am responsible for running,” wrote McKoon, the Georgia GOP voluntary chair. “Therefore, it is with regret I resign my lifetime membership in the Georgia Republican Assembly that I served as a Charter Member of when it was organized over a decade ago in this state.”

McKoon added he remained “hopeful” the organization would “steer away from a course of action” that undermines the state GOP’s past success.

AJC reports GRA Chair Alex Johnson is dismissing the backlash, saying the GRA remains committed to “unify the party and uphold accountable, authentic Republican governance.” However, former Georgia GOP chair John Watson slammed the GRA’s cultlike dedication to purity tests.

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“This is what happens when an organization takes its leadership cues from the legacy of David Koresh and Jim Jones,” Jones told AJC.

AJC reports that it’s unclear how the infighting will shape next year’s election, but it “underscores the ongoing challenges facing more pragmatic GOP figures like Raffensperger, who enjoy high name recognition and centrist support but face pushback with the party’s activist base.”

Read the full Atlanta Journal-Constitution report at this link.