Emboldened Kemp enters second term with growing national profile

Kemp's next moves unclear after resounding re-election

Gov. Brian Kemp

Brian Kemp was narrowly elected governor in a polarizing 2018 contest that pitted him against rising Democratic star Stacey Abrams. Kemp, then Georgia’s chief elections official, had refused to step down as he campaigned for the state’s highest office. In the months and years since that election, Abrams and Democrats warned that the close result, along with claims of voter suppression, would cast a shadow over his entire administration.

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Despite the narrow result, Kemp governed as the rock-ribbed conservative that we saw on the campaign trail. One of his first acts as governor was signing H.B. 481, which outlaws abortion procedures after six weeks of pregnancy. He also expanded gun rights and overhauled access to the ballot box. Democrats warned that these measures would come back to haunt him in 2022.

Later in his term, Kemp also began facing pressure from within his own party. After Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the Peach State, then-President Donald Trump and his inner circle grew frustrated with Kemp for refusing to side with their claims of election fraud. Trump himself launched a personal effort to defeat Kemp and other top state officials who he saw as ineffective. Privately, many Kemp allies worried that the former President’s revenge tour would hobble his standing ahead of the general election.

But fast forward to 2023, and Kemp is now the strongest figure in state politics. Despite his falling out with Trump, he handed former Sen. David Perdue an embarrassing 52-point defeat in the Republican primary last spring. He then went on to easily defeat Abrams in what was expected to be a hotly-contested rematch.

“It looks like the reports of my political death have been greatly exaggerated,” he said in his victory speech on election night.

So as Gov. Kemp gets sworn in for his second term on Thursday, he does so with a solid mandate — one that he did not claim after his 2018 victory. During the campaign, Kemp rarely elaborated on his plans for a second term. But he has said that he will spend most of 2023 addressing Georgia’s $6.6 billion economic surplus, and he plans to make good on a promise to send out more tax rebates this year. He also plans to call for more pay raises for school teachers and state workers.

His resounding victory is also set to elevate his national profile. Shortly after the 2022 election, he and his allies launched a federal fundraising committee, which will allow him to raise money nationwide ahead of what many believe could be a possible bid for national office.

In last year’s Senate runoff, he took full advantage of his growing profile and campaigned aggressively for Republican Herschel Walker. He even shared some of his resources with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. This led some to believe that he is being scouted as a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026, when his term as governor will end.

He also doesn’t seem to have ruled out a run for the White House. His 2022 performance could be seen as a blueprint for winning back college-educated and suburban voters, two key demographics that were once essential to nationwide victories for the GOP.

“This election proves that when Republicans stay focused on real-world solutions that put hardworking people first we can win now, but also in the future, y’all,” he said on election night.