Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has successfully fended off a challenge from former Senator David Perdue in the state's Republican gubernatorial primary, the Associated Press has projected. The victory sets up a rematch between the governor and Democrat Stacey Abrams, whom he defeated in the 2018 general election.
Kemp bested Abrams by 55,000 votes in November 2018, though Abrams contested the race and has made repeated claims that the election was stolen from her.
She has, to this day, never conceded to Kemp and said as recently as October, "Just because you win, doesn't mean you won."
Abrams peddled disinformation about Georgia’s new election law, becoming one of many Democrats to claim the law would suppress voter turnout. Even when Tuesday’s primary races saw record early voter turnout —more than 850,000 ballots were cast in person or returned via absentee ballot in three weeks of early voting— Abrams claimed that the voter turnout is not proof that the law has not caused voter suppression.
“Increased [voter] turnout has nothing to do with suppression … suppression is about whether or not you make it difficult for voters to access the ballot,” she said.
During his first term, Kemp – who was once a top Trump ally — became a target for attacks from former president Trump after the Georgia Republican refused to call a special session of the state legislature to appoint new slate Trump-allied electors to the 2020 Electoral College.
Trump went so far as to say that Abrams "might be better" than Kemp.
The race was, to some extent, a test of what power Trump still holds in the party. The former president encouraged Perdue to run against Kemp and endorsed Perdue when he announced his campaign.
Perdue, meanwhile, lost a runoff Senate election to Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff in 2021. Perdue’s defeat, along with the loss of Republican Kelly Loeffler, handed control of the Senate to Democrats. Many believe Trump’s rhetoric around voter fraud discouraged Georgia voters from showing up to polls, giving the two Democrats the edge.
While Kemp drew Trump’s ire, he earned an endorsement from former vice president Mike Pence, who offered his "full support for four more years of Brian Kemp as governor of the great state of Georgia.”
Meanwhile, Trump-backed Senate candidate Herschel Walker defeated several competitors to win the Republican primary, including state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and military veteran Latham Saddler, the AP projected.
Walker, a former University of Georgia football star, easily won the primary and will face Senator Raphael Warnock in November, despite concern from some that Walker may not be a strong general election candidate because of allegations he has faced in the past of domestic violence and making threats toward women.
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