Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to attend GOP presidential debate Wednesday

Attendance comes as GA gov downplays talk of late entry

Brian Kemp

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will be attending Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The surprise appearance comes as the anti-Trump faction of the GOP struggles to coalesce around a single candidate.

The two-term Republican has declined to enter the race despite encouragement from some donors. But he is proving to be a key player in the free-for-all search for a viable Trump alternative: several candidates visited Georgia last weekend to make their pitches to Kemp and Republican primary voters.

He has also used a new state law to create a fundraising committee that aims to boost Georgia Republicans who are facing potentially competitive races.

While not a candidate himself, the one-time Trump ally has repeatedly urged Republican candidates to move on from the 2020 election. He has also said in interviews that every moment spent discussing Trump and his growing list of legal troubles is a moment wasted from focusing on winning back the White House in 2024.

Kemp is not the only Georgia Republican who will be in Milwaukee for Wednesday’s debate. Our friends at the AJC are reporting that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Rome) will attend the debate as a Trump surrogate. U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Suwanee), who has endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, will be attending as well.

Trump will not be onstage at Wednesday’s debate, but his criminal indictments will almost certainly be the elephant in the room.

After all, the debate is taking place just hours before the former President is set to report to the Fulton County Jail, where he will be booked on charges stemming from his campaign’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results. He is expected to post a $200,000 bond.

The Fulton County District Attorney’s office is seeking a March 2024 trial date.