Gov. Brian Kemp officially kicked off his bid for a second term Thursday with a large group of lawmakers and supporters backing his campaign.
Within minutes of qualifying, Kemp took aim at likely Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in remarks at the state Capitol during an event with a rally flair. Supporters chanted “four more years” as he walked up.
But before Kemp meets Abrams in a potential rematch, he will first need to overcome a challenge from his own party. Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who qualified as a candidate Wednesday, upset the GOP primary when he announced in December he would challenge Kemp. The result is a rare competitive primary contest involving a sitting governor.
Kemp made no mention of Perdue in his comments to supporters Thursday.
“What we’re going to have to overcome to win the nomination we’re not taking for granted, but our sights are focused on who the real opponent is going to be,” Kemp told reporters afterward.
To further complicate the race, Perdue has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who said he would work to defeat Kemp after the governor refused to go along with Trump’s plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Both Kemp and Perdue have tried to focus their message on why they believe each is the best suited to beat Abrams in the fall. Abrams, who qualified Tuesday, came up short by about 55,000 votes in 2018.
“Stacey Abrams would bring Georgia’s record economic success to a screeching halt,” Kemp said to the crowd. “And make no mistake, under a Gov. Stacey Abrams, Georgia would be one COVID-19 variant away from total and complete lockdown.”
Kemp argues he’s already defeated Abrams once and is committed to doing it again, but Perdue claims he’s the only candidate who can rally a divided Republican party to the polls in the general election.
“I’m very, very concerned about our state,” Perdue told reporters this week. “And I want to make sure that we don’t turn our state over to the liberal Democrats. We see what’s happening in Washington right now, and I believe I’m the only one that can pull our party together and beat Stacey Abrams in the fall.”
Perdue said he would agree to debate Kemp so the governor will have to “answer to several things.” For example, he said he wants to press Kemp on his decision not to call a special session in the wake of the 2020 presidential election to “fix whatever was there” before the Jan. 5 runoffs. Perdue lost his Senate seat to now-U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff in that runoff.
Kemp has repeatedly defended his actions as being faithful to the law.
The limited polling available so far suggests Kemp would have the edge over Abrams. Kemp is also leading Perdue in the polls, but one survey indicated Trump’s endorsement of Perdue is not yet widely known among conservative voters in Georgia.
Kemp’s post-qualifying event was also a clear showing of his support from the state Capitol crowd, with at least two dozen Republican lawmakers from all over the state standing with him to cheer him on. West Georgia Congressman Drew Ferguson introduced the governor, making the case for Kemp’s re-election.
Kemp has also easily surpassed Perdue in fundraising, although Perdue did not rule out spending some of his own substantial wealth when asked this week. It also remains to be seen whether pro-Trump groups will help close the gap.
“We’re going to make sure this thing is well funded. We’re going to get our message out,” Perdue said.
Perdue is campaigning on eliminating the state income tax, which funds nearly half of the state budget and addressing the “voter integrity problem” in Georgia.
President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia was upheld after three recounts, including one done by hand.
Kemp has touted a controversial election measure he signed into law in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. That law included both new restrictions – like limiting the use of absentee ballot drop boxes – and some expansions, such as broader early voting access for most counties.
The governor is also campaigning on the state’s economic strength coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, an anti-abortion bill that has never taken effect, and a permit-less firearm measure he has pledged to sign.
“When it mattered the most, we chose freedom over government,” Kemp said of his handling of the pandemic.
Kemp said he remains committed to bringing an electric vehicle manufacturing plant to rural east Georgia, which he has called the largest economic development project in the state’s history. Perdue has criticized the Rivian project.
“It’s disappointing that David Perdue’s made this a political issue, but it shouldn’t surprise people for a guy that outsourced jobs to China that he’s not supporting bringing jobs to Georgia,” Kemp said of the former Fortune 500 executive.
Republicans are also pushing through a $1 billion tax cut package. The proposal would replace the state’s graduated income tax rate, which tops out at 5.75%, with a lowered 5.25% rate.
Qualifying started Monday with a rush of candidates and will wrap up Friday.
