HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — 13WMAZ sat down with the leading Republican Gubernatorial candidates ahead of the May primary to learn why they are running and why they believe they alone can win in November.
“I think Georgians realize, now more than ever, it's important who your governor is," said Kemp.
The incumbent governor says he has no intention of having his position snatched away this election season.
“I've got a successful record of being a governor who's done what they said they would do and our state being the #1 state for business,” said Kemp. “Best job and economic environment that I've seen in my lifetime.”
Kemp also wants to remind voters he accomplished that in the face of a fierce pandemic by refusing to shut Georgia down.
“You look around the country, you've got states that are still locked down," said Kemp. “You have people that have lost generational businesses. The employees there have had to move to other states because they don't have a job.”
The job of being governor doesn't come without heavy criticism. Kemp has taken shots from President Donald Trump and his supporters for certifying the 2020 election results. He says he is used to a little bit of controversy and critiquing.
“That's been going on for two years now, but I had plenty of that when I was Secretary of State," he said.
Some of that criticism centered around Kemp purging inactive voters from the registration rolls and refusing to resign from his position as Georgia’s Secretary of State while campaigning for governor in 2018. Since being elected governor, he's come under fire for signing SB 202, which set down a new slate of voting laws.
“Georgians want to know they have confidence in their elections process,” said Kemp. “Democrats, Republicans, and people that are not affiliated with a party -- they want to have secure, successful and fair elections, and that's what we have in Georgia.”
Kemp grew in up in Georgia, graduated from the University of Georgia, and spent many years as a small business owner before entering politics.
“I was fighting to survive every week to make payroll and potentially losing it all, so I'm used to going through tough times, but we're in good times now," he said.
As for the current political landscape?
“Politics is more challenging now than it's ever been in the country,” he said. “But we're just in one of those polarizing times. I mean, the pandemic's caused that, elections have caused that, and it's gonna be here for a while.”
Polling of 872 registered voters conducted by the University of Georgia Survey Research Center for the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows as of mid-January 2022, Perdue would beat Stacey Abrams, 47% to 43%. That same poll shows Gov. Kemp would also beat Abrams, but by a wider margin (48% to 41%).
However, other polls conducted by Quinnipiac University during the same time show Perdue and Abrams tied at 48%, while Kemp edges Abrams by 2 points (49% to 47%).
The general primary election date is May 24, 2022. Voters must register by April 25, 2022.
The winner of that Republican primary will face off against the presumptive Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 8, 2022. Currently, Abrams is the sole Democratic candidate for governor.
Tune in at 11 p.m. Thursday for 13WMAZ's sit-down interview with David Perdue.