Out of office, former GOP senator Kelly Loeffler remains active in politics

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Although she served as a Georgia U.S. senator for barely a year, Kelly Loeffler is remaining active in state politics, as the state’s nationally watched midterm elections enter their final two months.

Loeffler has started a conservative voter registration and mobilization group called Greater Georgia. Last week, the organization said it has made more than two million voter contacts since launching in February 2021.

“From the beginning, Greater Georgia has been committed to investing heavily in the growth of the conservative movement by making inroads with diverse communities and registering new voters,” Loeffler said. “Over the last 18 months, we’ve registered tens of thousands of voters, re-engaged thousands more, and built the coalition of voters that have already moved the needle toward greater conservative engagement. I’m encouraged by the results of our efforts so far, but our work on the ground continues heading into November.”

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Loeffler was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in December 2019 to fill the unexpired term of incumbent Johnny Isakson, who resigned for health reasons. She ran for election on her own in Georgia’s 2020 Senate special election, advancing to a Jan. 5 runoff with Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock in a race she would eventually lose.

Warnock is seeking election to his first full Senate term this year, and is being challenged by Republican Herschel Walker. For his part, Kemp is facing a challenge from Democrat Stacey Abrams in a rematch of their 2018 race.

Loeffler is following a similar path that Abrams took after she lost to Kemp four years ago, a defeat the Democrat has yet to acknowledge. Abrams founded Fair Fight, an initiative to fund and train voter protection teams in 20 battleground states.

In 2019, Abrams launched Fair Count, an organization that said its goal was to ensure 2020 Census accuracy and greater participation in civic engagement, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South.

“When I left the Senate in January 2021, I wanted to take the lessons we learned in 2020 and correct the shortcomings we saw in our election efforts,” Loeffler said. “We wanted to really get out there and grow the tent.”

Loeffler said the organization has hosted dozens of voter registration events, and helped drive up turnout for Georgia’s May 2022 midterm primary. She said Georgia saw a 98% increase in conservative voter turnout and a 152% average increase in minority support for conservative candidates.

Loeffler, who said she has no plans to run for elective office again, is supporting both Kemp and Walker in their election battles.