Republican Governors Break With Trump—Throwing Support Behind Kemp In Georgia

Topline

President Donald Trump is facing pushback in the Georgia governor’s race, with the Republican Governors Association launching a TV ad backing incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R), whom Trump is seeking to defeat.

Then-President Donald Trump gestures during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on … [+] January 29, 2020 in Washington. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

The group, which has a goal of electing GOP governors, is funding a 30-second commercial backing Kemp as a “proven conservative leader” and bashing President Joe Biden’s policies.

The ad makes no mention of Kemp’s Trump-endorsed primary challenger, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this is the first time the group has funded an ad to support an incumbent against a Republican challenger, and it’s put more than $500,000 behind the effort.

A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Further Viewing

Big Number

$12.7 million. That’s how much cash Kemp’s campaign has on hand, according to reports filed Monday. Perdue, meanwhile, has under $1 million in his campaign’s coffers.

Key Background

The field of major candidates in the GOP primary has been cleared to just Kemp and Perdue after Trump-supporting former state Rep. Vernon Jones (R) dropped out of the race on Monday and endorsed Perdue. Trump has launched repeated attacks on Kemp for more than a year after the governor refused to help overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, but the criticism hasn’t been enough to convince Georgia Republicans to turn against Kemp. Though polls show it’s a close race between Kemp and Perdue, the governor’s approval ratings are still high: A recent Quinnipiac University poll found Kemp’s approval rating at 70% among Republicans in Georgia.

What To Watch For

Whoever comes out of the GOP primary on May 24 will likely face Democrat Stacey Abrams in the general election on November 8. Polling suggests a tight race between Abrams and either of her potential Republican challengers. Abrams lost to Kemp by about 55,000 votes in the 2018 governor’s election but never conceded, saying Kemp engaged in voter suppression. The governor has repeatedly denied the claims.