Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams for a second time, winning another four years in office and cementing his status as the undisputed leader of the state’s GOP.
With 75% of the estimated vote counted, Mr. Kemp led Ms. Abrams by a 54 % to 45% margin.
Mr. Kemp is one of the few high-profile Republicans who not only survived a public clash with former President Donald Trump over his stolen election claims but also emerged stronger from it.
Mr. Kemp defended the 2020 presidential election results and cruised to victory against a Trump-backed primary challenger — former Sen. David Perdue.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also declared victory Tuesday night.
Mr. Raffensperger also drew Mr. Trump’s wrath for refusing to help him overturn President Biden’s victory in Georgia in 2020.
For her part, Ms. Abrams, a voting rights activist, failed to build upon her strong showing in 2018 when she came within 55,000 votes of beating Mr. Kemp and becoming the nation’s first female Black governor.
Mr. Kemp during the last four years in office solidified his conservative credentials with an assortment of legislative wins on taxes and cultural issues.
His opposition to strict coronavirus lockdowns and refusal to bow to Mr. Trump’s “stolen election” demand also strengthened his hand with voters.
Mr. Kemp’s victory marks another political setback for Ms. Abrams.
She has now twice failed to translate her rock star status in the Democratic Party into a win on Election Day.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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