Remember Brian Kemp’s 2018 campaign ad for Georgia governor?. If not, watch it here:
Kemp defeated Stacy Abrams in a very close and controversial general election in November 2018.
In April 2020, Kemp issued a stay-at-home order after learning for the first time that coronavirus could be spread by people who are not exhibiting symptoms. Kemp said he did not know the virus could spread this way until 24-hours before he issued the order. It was a strange and ignorant thing to say, since the Center for Disease Control had announced two months earlier that the virus could spread by people who are asymptomatic. Read more here. Later in the month he decided to re-open gyms, barber shops, tattoo parlors, bowling alleys, restaurants, and movie theaters in Georgia. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she was blindsided by this decision. Even President Donald Trump criticized him.
But Kemp really fell out of favor with Trump following the 2020 election when the governor refused to accept the former president’s election fraud claims. Earlier this year Kemp signed a controversial “election integrity” bill that some pundits say was an attempt to get back in Trump’s good graces. It didn’t work. What Kemp failed to consider is that Trump doesn’t care about so-called “election integrity,” he just cares about winning. Kemp was not loyal and this got him on Trump’s revenge list.
Politico is now reporting that former U.S. Senator David Perdue will announce his candidacy for governor tomorrow (Monday). He will challenge Kemp in the GOP primary. Trump recruited Perdue to run. It’s been less than a year since Perdue lost his 2020 Senate race run-off to Jon Ossoff. Earlier this year Perdue ruled-out a 2022 Senate run. (Trump has recruited Hershel Walker to run against incumbent Rafael Warnock).
Here is Politico:
Former Sen. David Perdue plans to announce he’ll challenge Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, setting up an epic Republican Party primary clash in one of the nation’s top battleground states.
Perdue, who was recruited to run against the governor by former President Donald Trump, intends to make his announcement Monday via video and file his paperwork at the same time, according to sources briefed on the plans.
The former senator has discussed getting additional fundraising and endorsement support from Trump and that it will be forthcoming, the sources said.
Read the rest here.
To make things even more interesting, Abrams announced this week that she will run for the Democratic nomination.
Fasten your seatbelt. I am curious to see how Georgia’s Christian Right will line-up. Ralph Reed?
RECOMMENDED READING
“First off, let me be very clear tonight, the election in 2020 was rigged and stolen” 
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A lot has changed since Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams met in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race 
Mike Pence positions himself for 2024
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