Brian Kemp & Stacey Abrams: What You Need to Know

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp will represent the Republican Party in the race for the governor’s office. He won the runoff election against lieutenant governor Casey Cagle, by a very wide margin. The race was called soon after the polls closed at 7PM Tuesday. Kemp earned 69 percent of the vote, with Cagle bringing in only 30 percent.

This is a sharp turnaround from the results in the May GOP primary. In that race, Cagle finished about 15 percentage points ahead of Kemp, but it wasn’t enough to secure the nomination. In Georgia, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary, or else it goes to a runoff.

Kemp closed the gap in the polls going into the summer, thanks in part to embarrassing controversies surrounding Cagle. He was recorded saying that the election was all about appealing to the “craziest” members of the party’s base. In another recording, Cagle acknowledged that a bill for private school scholarships was “bad a thousand different ways” but that he had pushed it through the legislature anyway for political reasons.

Kemp and Cagle are both vocal supporters of the Trump administration. A recent poll done by the University of Georgia showed that 21 percent of Republican voters in Georgia said they were casting ballots based on who they felt was the stronger ally for President Trump. That’s why a late endorsement by Donald Trump on July 18th for Kemp may have helped sway any undecided voters. In that post, President Trump praised Kemp as being “very strong on Crime and Borders, LOVES our Military, Vets and the 2nd Amendment. He will be a GREAT Governor!”

Kemp was reportedly surprised by the endorsement during a press conference. Kemp told reporters later that he only became aware something had happened when he noticed a lot of people in the crowd looking at their phones getting excited.

He tweeted his thanks to the president and promised to support the administration’s policies if elected governor, writing, “I’m incredibly grateful to have President Trump’s full & total endorsement. As governor, I will unapologetically stand with the President to secure our border, deport criminal aliens, crush street gangs, and ensure a bright and promising future for our families. #gapol #maga

Kemp will now face Democrat Stacey Abrams in November. She previously served as Georgia’s House Minority Leader and is hoping to make history in November by becoming the first African-American woman elected as a governor. Abrams easily secured her party’s nomination by a huge margin in May, winning by 53 percentage points.

The November election could end up being very close, based on recent polls conducted leading up to the runoff race. A poll taken by WXIA-TV in Atlanta and Survey USA from July 15-19 asked voters about a hypothetical matchup between Abrams and Kemp. The results showed Kemp with a two percent lead over Abrams. But with a margin of error of more than four points, that means this poll actually reveals a tie between the two candidates.

The 2016 election could also be an indicator of a close race. President Trump won Georgia over Hillary Clinton, but only by 5 percentage points. Georgia has not voted for a Democratic candidate for president since 1992.

If Abrams’ team can inspire more Democratic voters to turn up at the polls, the election has a chance to be tight. She may be aided by the fact that Georgia’s population has been diversifying in a big way over the last two decades. A report in Slate states that in 2000, Georgia was 63 percent white. In 2016, that percentage had dropped to 54 percent. At the same time, the Latino, black and asian populations have risen across the state. NBC News also reports that 23 percent of the state’s population is made up of women of color. But women of color make up only 8 percent of the state’s current officeholders.

President Trump congratulated Kemp on his victory in a tweet Wednesday morning. “Congratulations to Brian Kemp on your very big win in Georgia last night. Wow, 69-30, those are big numbers. Now go win against the open border, crime loving opponent that the Democrats have given you. She is weak on Vets, the Military and the 2nd Amendment. Win!”