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Brian Kemp steps down as Secretary of State after declaring victory in Governor's race

In a press conference Thursday, Kemp announced his resignation as Secretary of State and his plans to assume the role of Governor

In a press conference Thursday morning, Governor Nathan Deal passed the torch to self-declared Governor elect Brian Kemp.

Kemp declared his victory over Abrams Wednesday, even though all provisional ballots were not counted yet.

RELATED: Brian Kemp declares victory over Stacey Abrams in Georgia governor race

In the press conference, Kemp stated he will step down as Secretary of State, effective 11:59 a.m. Thursday.

"I'm proud of what we've accomplished over the years as Secretary of State," Kemp said, citing their increased use of technology and higher voter registration rates.

In the meantime, Deal says they plan to appoint an interim Secretary of State, Robyn Crittenden, who served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services.

They will swear her in later Thursday.

Kemp said he is now focused on building a future for Georgia and keeping families safe. He thanked Deal for his service.

Kemp also reaffirmed he is here to create more jobs, invest in public education, strengthen rural Georgia and stand with law enforcement.

Both Kemp and Deal say they look forward to a 'seamless transition.'

Deal said they will be including Kemp in discussions about the state's budget, which will take place early in his term as the new Governor.

Kemp reiterated again that the votes are still not there for Abrams. He said it's 'very clear' they've won the race and he's moving forward.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the results on the Secretary of State website show Kemp with 50.33% of the votes and Stacey Abrams with 48.73% of the votes.

Kemp said they are working to certify the election as quickly as possible.

Abrams' team said on Wednesday they will not concede and might be looking into taking legal action.

RELATED: 'No options off the table:' Abrams campaign suggests legal challenge to results a possibility

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