Loeffler sidesteps debate question on Trump’s claims of ‘rigged’ election

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) declined on Sunday to say whether she supports President Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him. 

“It’s vitally important that Georgians trust our elections process, and the president has every right to every legal recourse, and that’s what’s taking place,” Loeffler said during a televised debate against her Democratic opponent, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, when asked whether she backs Trump’s claims that the election results had been marred by widespread fraud and malfeasance. 

Loeffler also did not say whether she supports Trump’s demand that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) call a special session of the state’s General Assembly in an effort to overturn the results of the election. 

Loeffler is facing Warnock in a Jan. 5 runoff election. That race, along with another runoff between Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Democrat Jon Ossoff, will prove crucial in determining the balance of power in the Senate in the next Congress.

Loeffler’s remarks on Sunday came two days after Georgia elections officials certified the results of a recount initiated by the Trump campaign late last month. The recount reaffirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state. 

Trump has refused to concede the presidential election to Biden and has insisted that he won despite his Democratic rival carrying a substantial lead in the electoral vote. The president has repeatedly and falsely claimed that widespread voter fraud and systemic irregularities tainted the election and has mounted multiple efforts to overturn the results. 

Those efforts have so far seen little, if any, success.