Brian Kemp tops Stacey Abrams to win Georgia governor’s race

The rematch had the same result. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, R, is projected to beat Stacey Abrams, D, for the second consecutive election.

Abrams painted Kemp as a politician who doesn’t follow through on his word and who oversaw a decline in Georgia’s economy and quality of life while he was in office. She gave examples including the Atlanta Medical Center closing the week before the election and the state ending a rental assistance program.

Kemp meanwhile said it was Georgia’s conservative leadership that allowed the state to help residents financially despite “Bidenflation.” The state had a one-time tax refund of up to $250 for individuals and $500 for married couples.

The candidates appeared to agree on only one thing: They both encouraged Georgians to make a plan to vote early.

This was the first election under Georgia’s Election Integrity Act of 2021. It expanded voting times in many Georgia counties, guaranteeing that they be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and that anyone in line before the deadline can cast their ballot. It also required counties with wait times longer than 60 minutes to hire more staff. But there were also more controversial measures, like removing the secretary of state as the chair of the State Election Board and replacing him with someone appointed by the state legislature.

Democrats said the law would result in voter suppression. President Biden called it “Jim Crow 2.0.” But the numbers revealed a new early voting record: 2,504,956.

This race also saw record fundraising. In the final finance reports filed last week, it was revealed the candidates raised a combined total of nearly $170 million — Abrams hauled in $98 million, Kemp received $69 million.

Both candidates played down polls that showed Kemp ahead and gaining toward the end of the campaign. Kemp said he was running like he was five points down, while Abrams said the real race was closer than the polls showed and that some of the models looked back “at a Georgia that doesn’t exist anymore.”