Brian Kemp | |
|---|---|
 Kemp in 2023 | |
| 83rdGovernor of Georgia | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
| Lieutenant | Geoff Duncan (2019–2023) Burt Jones (2023–present) |
| Preceded by | Nathan Deal |
| Chair of theRepublican Governors Association | |
| Assumed office November 20, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Lee |
| 27thSecretary of State of Georgia | |
| In office January 8, 2010 – November 8, 2018 | |
| Governor | Sonny Perdue Nathan Deal |
| Preceded by | Karen Handel |
| Succeeded by | Robyn Crittenden |
| Member of theGeorgia State Senate from the 46th district | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Doug Haines |
| Succeeded by | Bill Cowsert |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brian Porter Kemp (1963-11-02)November 2, 1963 (age 61) Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Georgia Governor's Mansion |
| Education | University of Georgia (BS) |
| Signature |  |
Brian Porter Kemp (born November 2, 1963) is an American politician serving as the 83rdgovernor of Georgia since 2019.[1] A member of theRepublican Party, Kemp served as the state's 27thSecretary of State from 2010 to 2018, and as a member of theGeorgia State Senate from 2003 to 2007. He is the first Republican sinceReconstruction to be elected governor of Georgia who was not formerly aDemocrat.[2]
Kemp is a graduate of theUniversity of Georgia. Before entering politics, he operated several businesses in agriculture, financial services, and real estate.[3] In 2002, he was elected to the Georgia State Senate. Kemp ran for commissioner of theGeorgia Department of Agriculture in 2006 but lost the Republican primary. In 2010, GovernorSonny Perdue appointed Kemp secretary of state. He was elected to a full term as secretary in 2010 and reelected in 2014. In 2015, Kemp was criticized after a data breach of over six million voters' personal information to 12 organizations.[4] During the 2016 election, he was the only state official to reject help from theDepartment of Homeland Security to guard againstRussian interference.
Kemp ran for governorin 2018 and faced Democratic nomineeStacey Abrams. He refused to resign as secretary of state while campaigning for governor, which stirred controversy and accusations ofabuse of power from Democrats. Kemp narrowly won the general election and resigned as secretary of state shortly thereafter.[5] Abramsrefused to concede and accused Kemp ofvoter suppression, which he denied.[6] News outlets and political science experts have found no evidence that voter suppression affected the result of the election.[7][8][9] In his first term as governor, Kemp opposedface mask mandates andstay-at-home orders during theCOVID-19 pandemic, and prohibited localities from implementing stricter public health measures than the state as a whole.[10][11] After the2020 presidential election in Georgia, he faced criticism from PresidentDonald Trump for following the state law that required him to certify the results, despite Trump's repeated false claims of fraud in the election.[12][13] In 2021, Kemp signed into law theElection Integrity Act of 2021, which expanded early in-person voting and increased the state government's control over local election officials.[14]
In his 2022 reelection campaign, Kemp was challenged by former U.S. SenatorDavid Perdue in the Republican primary. Although Trump endorsed Perdue, Kemp defeated him in a landslide.[15][16] In thegeneral election, Kemp defeated Abrams in a rematch by a wider margin than in 2018; she conceded defeat on election night.[17]
Kemp was born inAthens, Georgia, the son of William L. Kemp II, into a prominent family with a history of political power. Kemp's grandfather Julian H. Cox was a member of theGeorgia Legislature.[18]
Kemp attended the privateAthens Academy until ninth grade, and then transferred toClarke Central High School to play football forBilly Henderson; he graduated in 1983.[19][20] He later[when?] graduated from theUniversity of Georgia, where he majored inagriculture.[18]
Kemp was a home builder and developer before entering politics.[18]
He served as aGeorgia State Senator from 2003 to 2007 after defeating the Democratic incumbentDoug Haines.[21] In 2006, Kemp ran forAgriculture Commissioner of Georgia. He finished second in the primary,[22] but lost the runoff toGary Black.[23] Kemp declared his candidacy for State Senate District 47 when incumbentRalph Hudgens planned to run for Congress inGeorgia's 10th congressional district, but Hudgens instead ran for reelection, changing Kemp's plans.[24]
In early 2010, Kemp was appointedGeorgia Secretary of State by then-GovernorSonny Perdue.[25] Kemp won the2010 election for a full term as secretary of state with 56.4% of the vote, to 39.4% for Democratic nominee Georganna Sinkfield.[26] Four years later, Kemp was reelected.
Kemp rejects the conclusion by theUnited States Intelligence Community thatRussia interfered in the 2016 election.[27] Amid Russian interference in the 2016 election, Kemp denounced theObama administration's efforts to strengthen election system security, including improving access to federal cybersecurity assistance,[27] calling the efforts an assault onstates' rights.[27]
After narrowly winning the2018 gubernatorial election, Kemp resigned as secretary of state in anticipation of becoming governor.[28][29]
As evidence mounted that Russian hackers were attempting to disrupt the 2016 elections, President Obama directedHomeland Security SecretaryJeh Johnson to work with states to secure their voting systems as "critical infrastructure." Kemp was the only state election official to decline the help fromJeh Johnson.[30] In a 2017 interview, he denounced the effort as an assault on states' rights, saying, "I think it was a politically calculated move by the previous administration" and "I don't necessarily believe" Russia had attempted to disrupt the elections.[31][32] In August 2016, amid Russian attempts to disrupt the 2016 elections, Kemp said that an intrusion by Russian hackers into voting systems was "not probable at all, the way our systems are set up" and accused federal officials of exaggerating the threat ofRussian interference.[33]
Georgia was one of 14 states that usedelectronic voting machines that produced no paper record, which election integrity experts say left elections vulnerable to tampering and technical problems.[34] The 2018 indictment against Russian hackers (as part of Special CounselRobert Mueller's probe into 2016 interference) said that the Russian hackers targeted county websites in Georgia.[30]
In December 2016, Kemp accused theDepartment of Homeland Security of attempting to hack his office's computer network, including the voter registration database, implying that it was retribution for his previous refusal to work with DHS. A DHS inspector general investigation found there was no hacking, but rather it was "the result of normal and automatic computer message exchanges generated by the Microsoft applications involved."[35][34]
In October 2015, the Georgia Secretary of State's office, under Kemp's leadership, illegally disclosed thepersonal information (includingSocial Security numbers and dates of birth) of 6.2 million registered Georgia voters. Thisdata breach occurred when the office sent out a CD with this information to 12 organizations that purchase monthly voter lists from the office. The office was not aware of the breach until the next month, and did not publicly acknowledge it untilThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported theclass action lawsuit against the office that resulted.[36] Within a month of the breach becoming publicly known, it had cost taxpayers $1.2 million incredit monitoring services for those whose data had been compromised, and $395,000 for an audit into Kemp's handling of the unauthorized data disclosure.[37]
Kemp drew criticism again in 2017 when it was revealed that a flaw in the state voting system exposed the personal information of over six million Georgia voters, as well as passwords used by county election officials to access voter files, to researchers atKennesaw State University.[38] The security flaw was fixed six months after it was reported to election authorities.[39][40] After a lawsuit was filed, a server at the center of the controversy was wiped, preventing officials from determining the scope of the breach.[41] Kemp denied responsibility, instead saying researchers atKennesaw State University, who managed the system, had acted "in accordance with standard IT procedures" in deleting the data.[42]
On September 5, 2018, anattack ad was released[43] claiming that Kemp chose not to pursue accusations of sexual assault against therapists employed byMassage Envy during his time overseeing the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy because of donations made by franchisee owners to Kemp's campaign.[44][45] The offenders were able to renew their Board licenses after the accusations.[46] Republican State SenatorRenee Unterman said that there "appears to be a direct connection between campaign support from Massage Envy franchisees in exchange for non-action and suppression" and asked U.S. AttorneyB.J. Pak to investigate "what seems to be a quid pro quo scheme being perpetrated through the secretary of state's office and the Kemp for governor campaign."[47] Kemp said that he had done nothing illegal.[48]
In response to the accusations, a spokesperson for Kemp's campaign asserted that Unterman was "mentally unstable" and suggested she "seek immediate medical attention before she hurts herself or someone else". The Kemp campaign was criticized for its apparent reference to Unterman's history ofdepression, about which she had spoken publicly.[49][50] In response, Unterman said she would not be "intimidated, blackmailed, belittled, or sexually harassed" into silence.[51] Kemp's campaign did not apologize for the remarks.[49][50]
Kemp was accused by Democrats ofvoter suppression during the 2018 gubernatorial election.[52][53][54] Political scientists Michael Bernhard and Daniel O'Neill described Kemp's actions as the worst case of voter suppression in that election year.[55] The allegations arose from Kemp's actions as secretary of state: a few weeks before the election, he put 53,000 voter registration applications on hold, with 70% of the applicants beingAfrican American, and he purged 1.4 million inactive voters fromvoter rolls during his tenure, including 668,000 in 2017.[56][57][58][59] Kemp denied engaging in voter suppression, stating that he was following federal and state law to update voter rolls with accurate information.[60][58]
As a result of the controversies surrounding the2018 Georgia midterms, critics have called Kemp's gubernatorial victory illegitimate.[61] Glenn Kessler ofThe Washington Post noted such claims are "an article of faith among Democrats".[62] Political scientists and news outlets have rejected these claims;The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote, "no evidence emerged of systematic malfeasance – or of enough tainted votes to force a runoff election between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams".[63] Political scientistCharles S. Bullock III toldThe Washington Post that claims of a stolen election were "not based on fact but will continue to be articulated by Abrams since it helps mobilize her supporters", whileRichard Hasen took issue with Kemp's job performance but said that he had seen "no good social science evidence that efforts to make it harder to register and vote were responsible for Kemp’s victory over Abrams in the Georgia gubernatorial race".[62] AUSA Today fact check noted that the actions Kemp's office took during the election "can be explained as routine under state and federal law".[64] Hasen toldPolitiFact, "I have seen no good evidence that the suppressive effects of strict voting and registration laws affected the outcome of the governor’s races in Georgia and Florida" and suggested Democrats "cool it" with claims the election was stolen.[65]
Kemp introduced a controversial "exact match" policy during his first year as secretary of state in 2010.[66] Under the system, eligible Georgians were dropped from voter rolls for an errant hyphen or if "a stray letter or a typographical error on someone's voter registration card didn't match the records of the state's driver's license bureau or the Social Security office."[67] In a 2010 explanation defending the practice to theDepartment of Justice, Kemp's office said the policy was "designed to assure the identity and eligibility of voters and to prevent fraudulent or erroneous registrations."[68] The Department of Justice initially rejected the policy, but allowed it to go into effect with additional safeguards; a later lawsuit claimed "it is not apparent that the Secretary of State ever followed the safeguards."[69] The process was halted after a lawsuit in 2016,[69] but the state legislature passed a modified form of the policy in 2017 and the process began again.[69]
Critics consider these types of "exact match" laws a form of voter suppression designed to disproportionately target minorities,[70] and African-American, Asian, and Latino voters accounted for 76.3% of the registrations dropped from voter rolls between July 2015 and July 2017.[69][60][71] Critics say that minority names are more likely to contain hyphens and less common spellings that lead to clerical mistakes, resulting in rejection of the registration.[72] In a 2018 ruling against Kemp, District JudgeEleanor L. Ross said the system places a "severe burden" on voters.[73]
After changes to theVoting Rights Act in 2012 gave states with a history of voter suppression more autonomy,[74] Kemp's office oversaw the closing of 214 polling locations, 8% of the total in Georgia.[75] The closings disproportionately affected African-American communities.[76] A consultant recommended that seven of the nine county polling locations inmajority-minorityRandolph County be closed ahead of the 2018 midterm election for failure to comply with theAmericans with Disabilities Act.[77] After theAmerican Civil Liberties Union challenged the plan, the locations were allowed to remain open.[78] Kemp denied knowledge of the plan, but a slide from a presentation given by the consultant read, "Consolidation has come highly recommended by the Secretary of State and is already being adopted by several counties and is being seriously considered and being worked on by many more."[79] Officials claim the locations were closed as a cost-saving measure.[75]
Georgia has removed registered voters from voter rolls for not voting in consecutive elections more aggressively than any other state.[80] Between 2012 and 2018, Kemp's office canceled over 1.4 million voters' registrations, with nearly 700,000 cancellations in 2017 alone.[81][60] On a single night in July 2017, half a million voters, about 8% of all registered Georgia voters, had their registrations canceled, an actThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution said "may represent the largest mass disenfranchisement in US history."[82] Kemp oversaw the removals as secretary of state, and did so eight months after declaring his candidacy for governor.[83]
By early October 2018, Kemp's office had put more than 53,000 voter registration applications on hold, with more than 75% belonging to minorities.[69][60] The voters are eligible to re-register if they still live in Georgia and have not died.[84][60][83][85] An investigative journalism group run byGreg Palast found that, of the approximately 534,000 Georgians whose voter registrations were purged between 2016 and 2017, more than 334,000 still lived where they were registered.[85] The voters were given no notice that they had been purged.[86] Palast sued Kemp, claiming over 300,000 voters were purged illegally.[87] Kemp's office denied any wrongdoing, saying that by "regularly updating our rolls, we prevent fraud and ensure that all votes are cast by eligible Georgia voters."[88]
After Totenberg's ruling thousands of voting machines were sequestered by local election officials on Election Day in 2018, an action critics said was designed to increase wait times at polling locations.[89] The sequestration of machines disproportionately affected counties that favored Kemp's opponent[90] and caused voters in some locations to have to wait in line for hours in inclement weather.[91][92] Other locations suffered delays because machines had been delivered without power cords.[93] Kemp himself experienced technical problems attempting to vote in the election.[94]
Kemp opposes automatic voter registration.[95] In a leaked 2018 recording, he said that attempts to register all eligible voters "continues to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote."[96] In a separate 2018 recording made by a progressive group he said, "Democrats are working hard ... registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are sitting on the sidelines. If they can do that, they can win these elections in November."[67][97][98]
On November 4, 2018, 48 hours before his gubernatorial election, the secretary of state's office published the details of azero day flaw in the state registration website,[99][100] accusing Democrats of attempted hacking for investigating the problem but providing no evidence.[101] Critics have said the announcement was further evidence of voter suppression and gave hackers a window of opportunity during which voter registration records could be changed.[102] In response to criticisms of the announcement, Kemp said, "I'm not worried about how it looks. I'm doing my job."[103] In a ruling on the matter, Totenberg criticized Kemp for having "delayed in grappling with the heightened critical cybersecurity issues of our era posed [by] the state's dated, vulnerable voting system" and said the system "poses a concrete risk of alteration of ballot counts."[104] In December 2018,The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that Kemp made the hacking allegations without any evidence.[105]The Journal-Constitution wrote that Kemp might have made the unsubstantiated accusations against Democrats as a ploy and diversion to help him win the election; the "examination suggests Kemp and his aides used his elected office to protect his political campaign from a potentially devastating embarrassment. Their unsubstantiated claims came at a pivotal moment, as voters were making their final decisions in an election that had attracted intense national attention."[105]
On December 4, 2018, U.S. RepresentativeElijah Cummings, the incoming chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced that he would like to call Kemp before Congress to testify about the fairness of his actions during the 2018 elections.[106][107][108] "I want to be able to bring people in, like the new governor-to-be of Georgia, to explain ... to us why is it fair for wanting to be secretary of state and be running [for governor]," Cummings said.[109]
On March 6, 2019, it was revealed that both Kemp and his successor as secretary of state,Brad Raffensperger, were under investigation by the House Oversight and Reform Committee for alleged voter suppression in the 2018 elections. Cummings oversaw the investigation. Kemp was given until March 20, 2019, to comply with document requests or face asubpoena.[110]
The primary elections were held on May 22, 2018, and a primaryrunoff was held on July 24, 2018, between Republican candidates Kemp andLieutenant GovernorCasey Cagle; Kemp prevailed. IncumbentRepublican governorNathan Deal was term-limited and thus could not seek a third consecutive term.Stacey Abrams won the Democratic primary with over 75% of the vote, allowing her to avoid a runoff.
During the general election campaign, Kemp provoked controversy with multiple ads, including one in which he posed with rifles and a shotgun that he jokingly pointed at a teenager who "wanted to date his daughter",[111] and one in which he said his truck was for "rounding up criminal illegals".[112] The lack of propergun safety in handling the shotgun in the "Jake" ad attracted criticism from the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, which said the ad "delivers a message perpetuating domestic violence and misogyny while modeling egregiously unsafe behavior", and prompted criticism that the ad depicted irresponsible handling of guns.[113][114] Kemp's supporters, by contrast, viewed the ad as a "lighthearted portrayal of a protective, gun-wielding Southern father vetting a potential suitor", and Kemp dismissed the criticism, telling critics, "Get over it."[113]
In the November 7 general election, Kemp declared victory over Abrams. The next morning, he resigned as Secretary of State.[115] On November 16, every county certified their votes with Kemp leading by roughly 55,000 votes.[116] Shortly after the certification, Abrams suspended her campaign; she accepted Kemp as the legal winner of the election while refusing to say that the election was legitimate.[117][118] Abrams has since claimed numerous[119] instances of election activity that allegedly unfairly affected the results. Following the election, Abrams and her organization Fair Fight filed several lawsuits challenging the constitutionality andVoting Rights Act compliance of Georgia's voting laws, some of which are still pending.[120]
Kemp prevailed by 54,723 votes, defeating Abrams 50.2–48.8%. The 2018 gubernatorial election was the closest governor's race in Georgia since1966.[121]
During the primary election, Kemp was endorsed by formerVice PresidentMike Pence. He faced a primary challenge from formerU.S. SenatorDavid Perdue, who was endorsed by former PresidentDonald Trump after Kemprefused to overturn the results of the2020 presidential election in Georgia.[122] Kemp defeated Perdue in the primary, 73.7% to 21.8%.[16] Trump endorsed Kemp in the general election.[123]
Abrams was once again theDemocratic nominee. This was Georgia's first gubernatorial rematch since1950.[124]
In the general election, Kemp won reelection to a second term, defeating Abrams by 7.5%. Abrams conceded on election night.[125] He was sworn in for a second term on January 12, 2023.
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Kemp was inaugurated as governor in a public ceremony inAtlanta on January 14, 2019.[126] He was inaugurated for his second term on January 9, 2023.[127]
In May 2019, Kemp signed into law a highly controversial bill that wouldprohibit abortions after a heartbeat can be detected in a fetus, which is usually when a woman is six weeks pregnant; the legislation was one of the country's strictest anti-abortion laws.[128] The legislation was blocked by federal courts, which ruled it unconstitutional: apreliminary injunction entered in October 2019 blocked the legislation from going into effect,[129] and apermanent injunction entered in July 2020 permanently voided the law.[130] This injunction was later overturned with the 2022 Supreme Court decisionDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Kemp has also publicly stated his support for a "statewide ban on the destruction of embryos".
The abortion ban has vague and conflicting exceptions that ostensibly protect the life of the mother.[131] According to Kemp, the law keeps women "safe, healthy and informed".[131] In practice, the exceptions are so vague and contradictory that physicians are reluctant to provide abortions even when the mother's life is at imminent risk.[131] By 2024, at least two women had died in Georgia after they were unable to access legal abortions and timely medical care.[131]
In April 2019, Kemp signed legislation into law addressing some criticisms that arose from the contested 2018 election; the new law provides that polling places cannot be changed 60 days before an election, that county election officials cannot reject absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures, and that a voter whose voter registration application information does not match other government databases will not be removed from the voter rolls for this reason.[132]
In March 2021, Kemp signedSB 202, which expanded early in-person voting, enacted ID requirements for absentee voting, gave the legislature power to overrule or replace local election officials, and banned anyone other than election workers from providing food or water to voters waiting in line.[14]
In May 2024, Kemp signed three election bills into law.[133]
Kemp visitedSwainsboro in September 2019 to announce the creation of a rural "strike team" focusing on economic development in rural areas of the state.[134]
Kemp has supported efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act,[135] as well as efforts to hinder the functioning of the Affordable Care Act for Georgia residents.[136] Kemp and Republicans in the Georgia legislature have opposed full Medicaid expansion.[137] Kemp has sought to introduce work requirements for Medicaid recipients.[138]
AfterJohnny Isakson announced that he would resign from theU.S. Senate on December 31, 2019, Kemp appointed businesswomanKelly Loeffler to complete Isakson's term on December 4.[139] Loeffler was sworn into office on January 6, 2020, but lost the seat to DemocratRaphael Warnock in thespecial election held for it.
Kemp appointedCarla Wong McMillian to fill a vacancy on theSupreme Court of Georgia caused by the retirement ofRobert Benham.[140][141]
Despite a regular election to the Supreme Court of Georgia being scheduled for November 2020, Kemp canceled the election when JudgeKeith R. Blackwell announced he would retire between the scheduled election and the end of his term.[142][143]
On April 1, 2020, Kemp announced a statewide stay-at-home order to combat theCOVID-19 pandemic.[144] He was among the last governors to issue a stay-at-home order,[145][10] as anational emergency was declared three weeks earlier, on March 13.[146] As he issued the order, Kemp said he had become aware the coronavirus could be spread byasymptomatic people only that day, despite warnings from health officials made months earlier.[144][147] At the end of April, Kemp lifted the stay-at-home order over the opposition of mayors[145] and against the advice of public health experts and theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.[10]
While many other states were implementing face mask mandates, Kemp prohibited localities from implementing stricter public health measures than the state.[11][148] In response, localities filed lawsuits against Kemp.[11] In July, Kemp prohibited Georgia cities and counties from requiring face masks to halt the virus's spread.[11] At the time, coronavirus cases were surging in many states, and other states were implementing statewide mask mandates.[149][11] By mid-July 2020, more than 127,000 COVID-19 cases had been reported in Georgia, with 3,000 deaths.[150]
In March 2021, Kemp expressed opposition to a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress.[151]
In an April 2019Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) poll, Kemp had a 46 percent jobapproval rating among Georgians.[152] In July of that year, another poll showed that Kemp's ratings had risen to 52 percent approving, making him the 22nd-most popular governor in the country.[153] A May 2020Ipsos poll showed that Kemp's job approval rating had declined to 39 percent among Georgians, making him among the nation's least popular governors; his low popularity was attributed to his handling of the coronavirus crisis.[154][155] In November 2020, Kemp's approval rating fell to 37 percent, according to an IAG/Fox 5 poll.[156]
In January 2021, an AJC poll showed his approval rating had rebounded to 43 percent,[157] and by May it was up to 45 percent.[158] In April 2022, his approval rating had reached 50 percent, according to aMorning Consult poll.[159] In October 2022, one month before the2022 gubernatorial election, Kemp's approval rating among Georgians stood at 54 percent.[160] At the beginning of his second term in 2023, his approval rating surged to 62 percent, according to an AJC poll; it peaked at 64 percent the following year.[161][162]
In a November 2020Fox News interview,Donald Trump said he was "ashamed" of having supported Kemp's 2018 gubernatorial campaign. Trump added that Kemp had "done absolutely nothing" to challenge the result of the 2020 election in Georgia, in whichJoe Biden defeated Trump by 11,779 votes, the first time since 1992 that Georgia voted for the Democratic nominee for president.[163] Kemp andLieutenant GovernorGeoff Duncan put out a joint statement explaining that calling a joint session of theGeorgia General Assembly to appoint their own electors to send to theUnited States Electoral College would be unconstitutional.[164]
In December 2020, Trump called for Kemp's resignation.[165] The same month, attorneyLin Wood, acting separately from the Trump campaign, called for both Kemp's andGeorgia Secretary of StateBrad Raffensperger's imprisonment.[166]
In January 2021, Trump criticized Kemp for certifying Georgia's results.[12][13] This resulted in speculation that he would face a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022.[167]
In March 2021, Kemp said he would support Trump if he ran for president again in2024.[151]
In September 2021, Trump implied at a rally inPerry, Georgia, that he would like Kemp's 2018 Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams to replace him,[168] saying, "Stacey, would you like to take his place? It's okay with me."[169] In December 2021,David Perdue announced his candidacy for governor, with Trump's endorsement.[170] In May 2022, Kemp announced he had the support of former Vice PresidentMike Pence.[171]
In March 2024, Kemp endorsedTrump's 2024 presidential campaign.[172] In June, he said he did not vote for Trump in thestate's primary (Trump was the only active candidate), but made clear he would support him in November and work to elect him.[173] In July, Kemp traveled to Wisconsin for the2024 Republican National Convention, where he told theAtlanta Journal-Constitution of Trump's platform for the Republican party, "it doesn't really matter what we think".[174]
In August, at an Atlanta rally, Trump criticized Kemp and his wife for 10 minutes, saying "he is a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor...little Brian, little Brian Kemp". In response Kemp asked Trump on social media to cease "engaging in petty personal insults" and to "leave my family out of it".[175]
Apart from an event focused on the damage fromHurricane Helene, Kemp and Trump did not appear or campaign together in the2024 US elections.[176][177]
Kemp marriedMarty Argo, daughter of longtimeGeorgia House of Representatives memberBob Argo,[178] on January 8, 1994;[179] they have three daughters. The family belongs to Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens.[180]
In May 2018, Kemp was sued for failure to repay $500,000 in business loans.[181] The suit was related to his having personally guaranteed $10 million in business loans to Hart AgStrong, a Kentucky-basedcanola crushing company.[182] The company was under investigation after making guarantees using assets it did not own and repaying suppliers using proceeds from insurance settlements.[183] An attorney for theGeorgia Department of Agriculture said these actions "may be a felony under Georgia law."[184] No charges were filed, and Kemp and the plaintiff reached a settlement shortly before he became governor.[185]
In October 2018, Atlanta television stationWAGA-TV reported that companies Kemp owned had owed more than $800,000 in loans to acommunity bank where he is a founding board member and stockholder. Such "insider loans" are legal as long as they are on the same terms as the bank would extend to any other borrower. Kemp's campaign declined to publicize the terms of the loan.[186]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp | 17,504 | 50.7 | |
| Democratic | Doug Haines (incumbent) | 17,015 | 49.3 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp (incumbent) | 29,424 | 51.6 | |
| Democratic | Becky Vaughn | 27,617 | 48.4 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gary Black | 153,568 | 42 | |
| Republican | Brian Kemp | 97,113 | 27 | |
| Republican | Bob Greer | 57,813 | 16 | |
| Republican | Deana Strickland | 54,318 | 15 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gary Black | 101,274 | 60 | |
| Republican | Brian Kemp | 67,509 | 40 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp (incumbent) | 361,304 | 59.2 | |
| Republican | Doug MacGinnitie | 248,911 | 40.8 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp (incumbent) | 1,440,188 | 56.4 | |
| Democratic | Georganna Sinkfield | 1,006,411 | 39.4 | |
| Libertarian | David Chastain | 106,123 | 4.2 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp (incumbent) | 1,452,554 | 57.5 | |
| Democratic | Doreen Carter | 1,075,101 | 42.5 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Casey Cagle | 236,498 | 39.0 | |
| Republican | Brian Kemp | 154,913 | 25.5 | |
| Republican | Hunter Hill | 111,207 | 18.3 | |
| Republican | Clay Tippins | 74,053 | 12.2 | |
| Republican | Michael Williams | 29,554 | 4.9 | |
| Republican | Eddie Hayes | 739 | 0.1 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp | 406,638 | 69.5 | |
| Republican | Casey Cagle | 178,877 | 30.6 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp | 1,978,408 | 50.2 | |
| Democratic | Stacey Abrams | 1,923,685 | 48.8 | |
| Libertarian | Ted Metz | 37,235 | 1.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp (incumbent) | 887,389 | 73.7 | |
| Republican | David Perdue | 262,118 | 21.8 | |
| Republican | Kandiss Taylor | 41,183 | 3.4 | |
| Republican | Catherine Davis | 9,775 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | Tom Williams | 3,252 | 0.3 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brian Kemp (incumbent) | 2,111,572 | 53.4 | |
| Democratic | Stacey Abrams | 1,813,673 | 45.9 | |
| Libertarian | Shane T. Hazel | 28,163 | 0.7 | |
Kemp was the second Republican since Reconstruction to hold the office in Georgia.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)designed to assure the identity and eligibility of voters and to prevent fraudulent or erroneous registrations
76.3 percent of which were for black, Asian, and Latino voters
may represent the largest mass disenfranchisement in US history
By regularly updating our rolls, we prevent fraud and ensure that all votes are cast by eligible Georgia voters.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Georgia State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Doug Haines | Member of theGeorgia State Senate from the 46th district 2003–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Georgia 2010–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Georgia 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forSecretary of State of Georgia 2010,2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Georgia 2018,2022 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Governors Association 2024–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byasVice President | Order of precedence of the United States Within Georgia | Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by OtherwiseMike Johnson asSpeaker of the House | ||
| Preceded byasGovernor of New Jersey | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Georgia | Succeeded byasGovernor of Connecticut |
Statewide political officials ofGeorgia | ||
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