Chris Carr has stepped down as chairman of a national group that advocates for Republican attorneys general, citing a “significant difference of opinion” in the organization’s direction following a robocall that urged people to march to the U.S. Capitol and “stop the steal” ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.
Carr, Georgia’s GOP attorney general and a potential U.S. Senate candidate, wrote in a letter last week that he was quitting as the leader of the Republican Attorneys General Association because of an irreconcilable rift over the organization’s direction.
His letter cited the departure of the group’s executive director, Adam Piper, who resigned shortly after it was revealed that RAGA’s policy arm paid for robocalls urging supporters of then-President Donald Trump to march on the Capitol to press for overturning the outcome the election the day of the riot.
“The fundamental difference of opinion began with vastly opposite views of the significance of the events of January 6 and the resistance by some to accepting the resignation of the executive director,” Carr wrote in the April 16 letter obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“The differences have continued as we have tried to restore RAGA’s reputation internally and externally and were reflected once again during the process of choosing the next executive director.”
Carr’s spokeswoman has repeatedly said he had no knowledge or involvement in the robocalls, which were promoted by the Rule of Law Defense Fund. He’s also condemned the violence and joined other AGs who declared that “such actions will not be allowed to go unchecked.”
It’s not immediately clear what led to his resignation, as Carr previously indicated he would stay in his leadership post and work to overhaul the organization from within. But the decision to distance himself from RAGA comes as Carr weighs a challenge to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a newly elected Democrat who is up for reelection in November 2022.
Even if he stays put, Carr faces a tough battle for another term as attorney general. Two high-profile Democratic challengers have already announced campaigns to challenge him: Charlie Bailey, who narrowly lost to Carr in 2018, and state Sen. Jen Jordan, who represents a slice of suburban Atlanta.
Both Bailey and Jordan slammed Carr’s resignation as an attempt to distract voters from the group’s role in the insurrection. So did the Democratic Party of Georgia, which said the GOP organization “became even more anti-democratic” under Carr’s leadership.
“As hard as he tries to distance himself from his past ahead of an election year,” party spokeswoman Rebecca Galanti said, “Georgia voters know Chris Carr for who he really is — an extremist who puts politics ahead of the rule of law.”
About the Author
