Donald Trump‘s radical image has left the Republican party quite polarised in itself, however, the build-up to the Georgia state election showed on Wednesday the former US president’s endorsement is necessary to channelise the massive supporter base he enjoys.

A section of the Republicans is eagerly courting his favour to win over the majority as Trump still, quite evidently, maintains overwhelming support among Republican voters.

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During a GOP rally in Perry, Trump accompanied a three-man ticket of candidates he’s backing in 2022 Republican primaries. However, the attempt to remake the party in his image hasn’t been well-received throughout the Republican party, according to Associated Press inputs. The GOP opponents of Trump-backed candidates aren’t ready to fold in Georgia and some say the former president’s nod could hurt Republicans in a general election in the closely divided state.

But like everything else about the former president, it’s a rule-rewriting approach, said Casey Dominguez, a political science professor at the University of San Diego, AP reported.

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“We haven’t seen presidents in recent years try to drive a wedge within their own party, which is what happens in a primary election,” Dominguez said to AP. “He’s playing factional politics in the party.”

Trump was joined at the rally in Perry, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) south of Atlanta by the three candidates, including Herschel Walker, who recently launched a Senate campaign. Earlier, Trump had urged the former football great to challenge Democratic US Senator Raphael Warnock.

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In one of his first public appearances since entering the race, Walker on Saturday talked about his relationship with Trump, but also urged his listeners to “come together as a people” and not be upset with others “because they disagree with you.”

Also speaking was US Rep Jody Hice, Trump’s choice against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. While Raffensperger refused the former president’s entreaties to “find” enough votes to overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democratic President Joe Biden in Georgia, Hice objected to Georgia’s electors in Congress.

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Completing the trio is state Sen. Burt Jones, an early Trump supporter who pushed measures to overturn Biden’s Georgia win and is running for lieutenant governor.

Yet, in the end, the rally was all about Trump, who remains the star of his own show as numerous supporters arrived wearing his “Make America Great Again” gear.

With inputs from the Associated Press