Full Breakdown
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Faces Credible Threat and Bomb Scare Ahead of Gubernatorial Primary
5/13/2026, 6:50:36 AM
Threat Manifesto and Bomb Scare
On Monday, a four-page handwritten manifesto was mailed to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi. The document featured a photograph of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger with the word “Boom” scrawled across his forehead and was classified by his campaign as a “credible threat on his life.” The next morning, at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, a team of K-9 units discovered a suspicious object inside a vending machine, prompting the evacuation of the airport and the temporary suspension of Raffensperger’s campaign stop. Subsequent sweeps found no hazardous device.
Background & Context
Raffensperger has served as Georgia’s secretary of state since 2019. He rose to national prominence after refusing former President Donald Trump’s request to “find” enough votes to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential result. Since that refusal, he has endured “hundreds of threats,” including death threats against his family and a temporary relocation after a far-right militia was observed near his home. He is barred from seeking re-election as secretary of state and is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, with the primary scheduled for May 19, 2026.
Timeline
- Monday, May 11, 2026 – Handwritten manifesto mailed to Clay County Sheriff’s Office; campaign labels it a credible threat.
- Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 8:21 a.m. – 911 call reports suspicious object at Middle Georgia Regional Airport; bomb unit dispatched.
- Later Tuesday – K-9 team locates object in vending machine; airport evacuated; sweep concludes with no bomb detected.
- Tuesday afternoon – Raffensperger resumes campaign fly-around, later addressing the incident at Savannah Airport.
Official Statements & Responses
Campaign spokesperson Ryan Mahoney told reporters the manifesto “obviously targeted the secretary of state” and that “the person has not been found yet who issued the threat yesterday.” He added that law-enforcement agencies—including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI—were notified and that security for Raffensperger and his family was heightened. The Clay County sheriff’s office released a statement that “after the thorough sweep of the airport, and further investigation, no hazardous devices were detected.” An FBI spokesperson confirmed the bureau was aware of the incident but that the local sheriff’s office was leading the investigation.
Criticism & Opposition
The source material does not contain explicit criticism of Raffensperger’s actions or of the law-enforcement response. No dissenting viewpoints were reported.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Both the campaign and law-enforcement officials indicated that it remains “unknown if the suspicious object … was related to the manifesto.” The author of the manifesto has not been identified, and no connection between the two incidents has been established.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The person has not been found yet who issued the threat yesterday,” — Ryan Mahoney, campaign spokesperson
- “We’re still trying to find that person, obviously trying to see if there’s a connection point between the bomb threat” — Ryan Mahoney, campaign spokesperson
- “it was obviously targeting the secretary of state,” — Ryan Mahoney, campaign spokesperson
- “After the thorough sweep of the airport, and further investigation, no hazardous devices were detected,” — Clay County Sheriff’s Office
- “Take a look at the last several years. My resolve is already pretty strong.” — Brad Raffensperger, gubernatorial candidate
- “it remained unknown if the suspicious object found at the campaign event in Macon was related to the manifesto.” — Ryan Mahoney, campaign spokesperson
What’s Next
Despite the scare, Raffensperger continued his statewide tour and plans to campaign through the May 19 primary. Security measures around his campaign events have been intensified, and law-enforcement agencies continue to investigate the manifesto’s origin. The outcome of the primary will determine whether he advances to the general election for governor.
