ATLANTA \u2014 Brad Raffensperger, a Republican candidate for governor in Georgia, said Tuesday there was an \u201cactive threat\u201d near a planned campaign event a day after, his campaign said, authorities received a message targeting him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A campaign spokesperson said in a statement that the Clay County Sheriff\u2019s Office in Mississippi received a multipage manifesto Monday and that the front page had a photo of Raffensperger, who is Georgia\u2019s secretary of state, with \u201cboom\u201d written across his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police alerted the campaign of the threat and dispatched protection for Raffensperger and his family, campaign spokesperson Ryan Mahoney said by text message, adding that it also \u201cbeefed up\u201d security for a planned six-stop campaign tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier in the day, the Bibb County, Georgia, Sheriff\u2019s Office said officials found a \u201csuspicious object inside of a vending machine inside a secure area\u201d of Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon at 8:21 a.m. ET. No hazardous devices were detected during the sweep, and the airport was reopened, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raffensperger\u2019s campaign had announced a campaign stop at the airport planned for 10 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLaw enforcement has a suspect and they are actively tracking that suspect,\u201d Mahoney said. \u201cWe have not released the name of the suspect nor the contents of the manifesto yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was not immediately clear whether the bomb scare and the threatening message were related or why the message was sent to Mississippi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local, state and federal authorities, including the FBI, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raffensperger has faced numerous threats over the years after he refused President Donald Trump\u2019s demand that he \u201cfind\u201d more votes in Georgia following the 2020 election. He has repeatedly pushed back against Trump\u2019s false claims that he won that election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raffensperger said Tuesday in a statement that the campaign was dealing with an \u201cactive threat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not exactly the spot that we had envisioned, but it\u2019s clear that when you stand on principle, when you do the right thing, you put people ahead of politics, some folks just won\u2019t like you,\u201d he said. \u201cIn fact, some people will hate you, even want to try and hurt you. So yes, we are dealing with an active threat, and no, I refuse to back down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raffensperger is seeking to replace Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited. His opponents include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, one of the presidential electors who cast votes for Trump at the State Capitol after an official tally found that Joe Biden had won the 2020 election. Trump has endorsed Jones in the governor\u2019s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Georgia\u2019s primary is next Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n