Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) on Wednesday said a Democrat won’t win the race for his state’s Senate seat, saying Democrat Michelle Nunn “cannot win this race.”
“A Democrat is going to find it very difficult, if not downright impossible, to win this U.S. Senate race,” Broun, one of several Republicans vying for the seat, told The Hill.
{mosads}Broun went on to hammer Nunn for her appearance last month at a fundraiser in New York for female Senate candidates, which was headlined by first lady Michelle Obama.
“I’m told Michelle Nunn was at a fundraiser with Michelle Obama … who said she wanted to elect her, so they could be certain to continue to force ObamaCare down the throats of the American people,” he said.
“That’s not going to fly in Georgia. Not with Democrats, Republicans, independents, anybody. Michelle Nunn cannot win this race with that radical, leftist mentality,” Broun added.
The focus on Nunn is a marked departure from Broun’s strategy up to this point in the race, which has been to largely home in on his GOP primary opponents.
He is facing seven other Republicans in a GOP primary, including two of his fellow Georgia congressmen.
Nunn took flak from national and local Republicans for appearing at the fundraiser alongside the first lady, but her potential Republican opponents have been largely silent.
Georgia is one of two states Democrats hope to pick up in 2014, but the Republican lean makes it a long shot for the party.
Nunn, the daughter of former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn (D), was a top recruit, but Republicans believe President Obama’s unpopularity and persistent issues with the healthcare reform law will sink her candidacy.