Humiliated in the May primaries, Perdue and other Trump-backed challengers now stand as a cautionary tale of the limits of the former president’s support even among the group of core conservatives who cast ballots in lower-turnout elections.

And Tuesday’s runoffs will stand as a final measure of Trump’s appeal in Georgia ahead of the November election, even as more local Republicans indicate they’re tired of his vendettas against state officials.

“At this point in time, the Trump endorsement is neutral. It’s not a plus and it’s not a negative,” said Gordon Rhoden, the Athens-Clarke County GOP chair. “People are moving beyond that.”

Rhoden chuckled as he mentioned a recent county event headlined by GOP U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker, saying it was the “biggest crowd we ever had — and even Herschel didn’t mention Trump.”

Instead, the GOP runoff elections in Atlanta’s suburbs and exurbs could be decided by more traditional concerns, such as the effectiveness of get-out-the-vote efforts and escalating attacks between rivals on the airwaves and in mailboxes.

The winner of the 10th District runoff between Collins and Jones is all but guaranteed to represent the northeast Georgia district, a conservative stronghold now held by U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, one of the Trump-backed contenders whose statewide bids collapsed.

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

And the victor in the 6th District runoff, which pits attorney Jake Evans against physician Rich McCormick, is nearly certain to inherit the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath.

After Republicans transformed her swing district into safely Republican territory stretching to rural Dawson County, McBath hopped next door and defeated fellow Democratic incumbent Carolyn Bourdeaux in May’s primary.

A third closely watched Republican runoff involves a clash between attorney Chris West and veteran Jeremy Hunt for the 2nd District in southwest Georgia.

But unlike the other two races, the victor in Tuesday’s runoff faces an uphill battle in November. Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, the longest-serving member of Georgia’s delegation, is running for a 16th term.

No matter who wins in the GOP runoffs, voters are sure to get a nominee who praises Trump every chance, opposes abortion rights at all costs, supports expanding access to guns and embraces other stances that cater to the party’s most conservative voters.

Rape whistles and unearthed papers

Like in the other contests, the candidates in the 6th District races are battling apathy and confusion as they press their voters to return to the polls. With no statewide Republican race on the ballot, there’s even less attention on the overtime bouts.

McCormick is viewed as the front-runner after finishing far ahead of his rivals in the crowded primary. He’s hit Evans hard with suggestions that he has liberal views on policing, based on a paper he wrote that McCormick’s campaign unearthed.

Evans eagerly highlights a hard-won endorsement from Trump, though he also touts the blessing of other far-right conservatives as he tries to frame his opponent as a closet moderate.

“This race is not about flashy endorsements,” said former state Rep. Meagan Hanson, a former 6th District contender now backing McCormick. “It’s about the candidates — and which one voters trust to fight for them in Washington against the liberal agenda that’s crushing families like mine across the 6th.”

The race in the 10th District has drawn more intrigue, in part because of Trump’s heavy-handed intervention to boost Jones rather than pick a local Republican.

Two years ago, Jones was a Democratic state legislator with a liberal record that included a vote against an anti-abortion measure.

Now the onetime chief executive of deeply Democratic DeKalb County is trying to remake himself as the “Black Donald Trump” with a campaign that clings to the former president’s election fraud lies.

He and Collins have clashed on issues ranging from support for Kemp — Jones calls him a phony “RINO” Republican — and stances on abortion, guns and other culture wars divides.

What’s happening off the campaign trail is stoking the controversy. Collins’ campaign sent a barrage of mailers to conservative voters painting Jones as a “radically anti-white racist.”

Credit: Screenshot

Credit: Screenshot

“We don’t have to worry about a corrupt career politician who is actually a Democrat from DeKalb County,” Collins, whose father once represented the region in Congress, said at a recent stop. “You can vote for someone who has lived here all his life, a conservative who is also an outsider.”

Jones this week responded by filing a police report in Morgan County claiming Collins is encouraging “violence against me” by handing out red rape whistles affixed with Jones’ name, a reference to his long history of misconduct toward women. Authorities say they will not investigate.

Some Republicans inclined to back Collins are concerned that his attacks have gone too far. Jeff Hood, a fast-food executive, said the mailers gave him a sour feeling.

“I’m leaning toward Mike but I’m not 100% sure,” he said, “and when I saw that mailer, it gave me second thoughts.”

Collins leads in scattered polling conducted by GOP groups, but the race remains volatile. Even close observers struggle to make a prediction. Emanuel Hernaiz, a University of Georgia student who is deeply involved with the local College Republicans chapter, said many questions are still at play.

“Will the primary defeats of Trump’s candidates make his supporters come out in force, or will it depress them?” Hernaiz asked. “Or does it matter at all?”

So, does it? Hernaiz shrugged.

“We’ll find out.”