Atlanta, GA — On Monday, the Superior Court of Fulton County filed notice of a hearing for a challenge to the candidacy of Brad Raffensperger for Governor on the Republican primary ballot, due to the Republican party voting to reject his candidacy last year at the Georgia GOP Convention. If successful, this challenge could disqualify Raffensperger from the Republican primary ballot.
The hearing will take place via Zoom on Friday April 24, 2026 at 1:30pm.
Members of the public are encouraged to observe the hearing via Zoom and show their support for Brandyn James and Harvey Wysong, the Republican Party delegates who filed the challenge.
“This is not a partisan issue; it is an issue of election integrity,” said Jake Medoff, attorney for Wysong and James. “The Georgia Republican Party has the right to decide who will represent it as a candidate, and that process should not be overridden by the whims of party executives.”
“This legal action is about protecting the interests of all Georgia voters. When my fellow Georgians and I go to the polls, we deserve to know whether that ‘R’ or ‘D’ next to our chosen candidate’s name means something or not,” continued Medoff. “If Raffensperger is allowed to run as a Republican against the wishes of the majority of the party, the party designation is meaningless.”
The scheduling of this hearing is a win for Wysong and James and shows that their claim has legal merit and can’t be lightly dismissed. It also reveals that the court recognizes the urgency of the challenge, with early voting on the horizon.
Brad Raffensperger had a conflict of interest and abused his power as Secretary of State in order to try and quash a challenge to his own qualification, but Honorable Judge Belinda E. Edwards is not allowing him to unilaterally dismiss this challenge as “frivolous.”
“Raffensperger’s Office was obligated to investigate the challenge to his qualifications (O.C.G.A. 21-2-5),” said Medoff. “Instead, they buried it and tried to run out the clock. The Petition for Writ of Mandamus is simply asking the Court to Order Raffensperger to perform duties that he is already legally obligated to perform.”
“Simply put, nothing allows the Secretary to decide that the claim is frivolous. He had a duty to refer the challenge to an administrative law judge for a hearing and he failed to perform it; it’s that simple.”
Harvey Wysong and Brandyn James originally filed the challenge back on March 20th and asserted that the qualification of Brad Raffensperger as a Republican candidate was illegal. Raffensperger rejected the challenge and now they are seeking relief before early voting begins on April 27th with Raffensperger’s name erroneously listed as a Republican candidate for Governor.
The Republican Party of Georgia rejected Raffensperger’s candidacy due to his record of governance that contradicted the values and stated goals of the Republican Party.
Over the last 5 years, the Republican Party of Georgia passed numerous resolutions, and made numerous public statements affirming their commitment to election integrity and rebuking the Secretary for his actions in opposition to common sense election integrity reforms, and what many believe to be dereliction of duty to ensure free and fair elections. Tensions only escalated between 2020 and 2026. The decision to ban Raffensperger’s candidacy was the final, ultimate solution for the party delegates who had witnessed the Secretary repeatedly dismiss their concerns and ignore the party’s pleas for secure elections.
James and Wysong cite Raffensperger’s decisions to trust leftist non-profits funded by George Soros and Mark Zuckerberg to assist with the administration of Georgia’s elections. They also cite his Amicus brief filed against election integrity advocates who merely wanted to inspect the 2020 Fulton county ballots that appeared to be counterfeit, and which were seized by the FBI in January of this year.
GRA members are eager to see the outcome of this legal battle and are grateful for James and Wysong’s initiative to ensure the integrity of Georgia’s elections process and protect the reputation of the Republican Party.
Meeting ID: 910 2832 1245
+14703812552, 91028321245# US (Atlanta)
Brandyn James and Harvey Wysong launched a fundraiser on Give Send Go and have already raised several thousand dollars of the $45,000 they expect they will need. Attorneys, hearings, and court filings are not cheap.
Can you pitch in to help them pay their attorneys and pursue justice and an authentic Republican ballot for Georgians?
Comments: 5
How do you join the zoom meeting on April 24 at 1:30pm?
click on the link : https://zoom.us/j/91028321245 …..it is also noted above in the article
Zoom Meeting
Copy and paste this web address below into your browser
https://zoom.us/j/91028321245
When prompted enter this Meeting ID: 910 2832 1245
+14703812552, 91028321245# US (Atlanta)
Absolutely NOT. This is NOT the will of the entire Republican Party of Georgia, this is sour grapes from two people that I will never vote for in any capacity!
No, this was not the will of only two people. They simply represent the majority of the delegates at the 2025 Georgia Republican Party who voted to not allow Raffensperger to qualify in the Republican primary this year. The delegates did that because of Raffensperger’s overwhelming record of undermining the principles and interests of the GOP over the last five years. He can qualify as an Independent candidate, but not as a Republican. Anyone could have presented the challenge, but only Harvey and Brandyn did so in time.