Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia, has disclosed that he abstained from voting for Donald Trump in the state's 2024 GOP presidential primary. In an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Kemp explained that he chose not to cast a vote in March because he believed it was inconsequential, given that Trump was already on track to becoming the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
These comments were made in the context of the upcoming live televised debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, which will take place in Atlanta, a crucial swing state for the 2024 campaign. The relationship between Kemp and Trump has been strained for some time, stemming from the governor's refusal to support Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, which ultimately saw Biden emerge as the winner by a narrow margin of approximately 11,700 votes. Kemp clarified his stance, stating, "I did participate in the voting process, but I did not cast my vote for any particular candidate.
By the time the primary arrived, the outcome had already been determined. Although I always strive to exercise my right to vote and contribute to the democratic process, it became evident that my vote would not have an impact at that stage."
Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia, has not officially endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. However, Kemp has previously stated that he will support the Republican nominee to defeat President Joe Biden in the November election.
Trump won the Georgia Republican primary on March 12 with over 84% of the vote. He also won primaries in Washington and Mississippi that same night, cementing his status as the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Trump's campaign has been contacted for comment on this situation.
The former president was highly frustrated when Kemp refused to call a special legislative session to try to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. Trump endorsed Kemp's Republican challenger, former senator David Perdue, in the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial primary. However, Kemp went on to comprehensively defeat Perdue by over 50 percentage points.
Trump and several others have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges related to their alleged criminal attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The Fulton County District Attorney's investigation was launched in response to Trump's January 2021 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump asked Raffensperger to "find" the 11,870 votes needed for Trump to win the state in the 2020 election.
Kemp stated that he has not spoken directly to Trump recently and that there have been no attempts at communication from Trump's campaign team. Despite their history of differences, Kemp said he is willing to overlook those issues to help the Republican cause in November.
Regarding the upcoming CNN presidential debate, Kemp suggested that Trump should focus on the future rather than dwelling on past grievances, to appeal to key swing voters.
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