That fueled fresh warnings from Democrats that he was intent on going beyond the state law that banned the procedure as early as six weeks.
Wade would upend the race, Kemp hardly talked about anti-abortion limits that polls showed were broadly unpopular among likely Georgia voters.Īt their second debate last week, however, Kemp wouldn’t say whether he would sign more abortion restrictions into law in a second term. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Though the Democrat still outraised him, he poured resources into a grassroots infrastructure to compete with Abrams’ prized get-out-the-vote apparatus. Thanks partly to new fundraising rules, Kemp amassed about $70 million to promote his record and batter Abrams.
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With polls showing overwhelming GOP support for the governor, Kemp was free to try to broaden his base of support. Kemp’s 52-point victory over Perdue - and the failures of many other Trump-backed challengers in the Republican primary - silenced the ex-president’s criticism. He also tried not to alienate the “Make America Great Again” base by insisting he wouldn’t “ say a bad word” about the ex-president. Leveraging the sweeping powers of his office, Kemp worked with GOP lawmakers to cut income taxes, loosen gun restrictions and pass other measures to shore up his support with conservatives and independent voters.Ĭredit: Natrice Miller / Natrice Miller / far-right stances made Kemp seem more moderate by contrast, giving the governor an opening to woo swing voters who cheered him for standing up to Trump. Perdue centered his bid on loyalty to Trump - and to his lies about widespread election fraud.īut Perdue wound up helping Kemp more than he hurt him. Trump persuaded Perdue to run against Kemp shortly after his defeat to Democrat Jon Ossoff, part of a tandem of GOP losses in the January 2021 runoffs that flipped control of the Senate. The former president labeled Kemp a “total failure” and even mused that he’d rather Abrams win the state’s top office. Though Kemp’s allies brimmed with confidence in the closing weeks of the race, his bid for reelection was never as inevitable as recent polls suggested.Ī year ago, Kemp was regularly booed at GOP gatherings by activists upset he refused Trump’s demand to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “While I may not have crossed the finish line, we will never stop running for a better Georgia,” she told Democrats in downtown Atlanta. Her next step after two consecutive statewide losses to Kemp in her home state is unclear. She repeatedly said she dreamed of running for president herself. Senate and many saw her as a serious contender to be Joe Biden’s running mate. The midterm ended Abrams’ historic quest to become the nation’s first Black woman elected governor - and leaves her at an uncertain crossroads as she ponders her future in politics.Īfter her 2018 loss, her national profile soared senior Democratic leaders pleaded with her to run for the U.S. “Well, it looks like the reports of my political death have been greatly exaggerated,” Kemp said in a fiery victory speech to cheering supporters. David Perdue, in the GOP primary and then defeated a Democratic star seen by many in her party as a potential White House candidate. Over a six-month span, Kemp thwarted Donald Trump’s quest for revenge by routing his hand-picked challenger, former U.S.
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