ATLANTA — In the halls of the Omni Hotel at the Battery, a Georgia GOP operative was searching for the state party's annual Christmas fundraiser when he stumbled upon a closed-door meeting with David Perdue and several of his campaign staffers shortly after he entered the race against Gov. Brian Kemp.
Also huddled with Perdue in the small room was a man the aide was surprised to see: Party Chair David Shafer, who is barred by state GOP bylaws from using his title to take sides in primary fights. The operative was hustled from the room, but word of the encounter quickly spread among party leaders.
Attendees said it was a few minutes of small talk afforded to any dignitary at a state GOP function. But the episode called attention to Shafer's cozy relationships with candidates backed by Donald Trump, most of whom were resoundingly rejected by Republican voters in the May 24 primaries.
