Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia, revealed that he voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Kemp said he didn’t vote for anyone in the March race because he felt it “didn’t matter” since Trump was still on track to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024. His comments come as Trump and President Joe Biden prepare to participate in the first live televised debate of the 2024 crusade in Atlanta, in that key state.
Relations between Kemp and Trump have long been strained after the governor refused the former president’s attempts to overturn the effects of the 2020 Georgia election, which Biden won with just over 11,700 votes.
“I didn’t vote for anyone. I voted, but I didn’t vote for anybody,” Kemp told CNN’s The Source. “I mean, the race was already over when the primaries were held. I go out to pass out and vote and “Play a part in it, but look at that moment, it doesn’t really matter. “
Kemp has not officially endorsed Trump in the 2024 race, but he has already committed to anyone on the Republican list to help defeat Biden in November.
Trump won the Republican Party’s number one spot in Georgia with more than 84% of the vote on March 12. He became the presumptive Republican nominee for 2024 after also winning in Washington and Mississippi that same night.
Trump’s office was reached for comment via email.
Trump became so angry when Kemp refused to call a special legislative consultation to try to nullify the effects of the 2020 Georgia election that he vowed to end his political career. The former president endorsed Kemp’s Republican rival, former Sen. David Perdue, in the Georgia GOP’s gubernatorial race. number one in 2022.
Kemp beat Perdue by more than 50 points.
Trump and several others have pleaded guilty to several charges for their alleged criminal attempts to nullify the effects of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation came in reaction to Trump’s phone call in January 2021 with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he asked him to “find” the 11,870 votes needed to beat Biden in the state in the last election.
Kemp said he hasn’t spoken to Trump recently and there hasn’t been any attempt at communication by his crusade team.
Despite this, Kemp said he was willing to forget about the differences between the two men to help the Republican cause in November.
“We will see how the race goes and what they ask for or need. But right now my goal is to deliver the price for us to win,” Kemp said. “Regardless of our shared history, I have a vested interest in Georgia remaining in Republican hands. “
As for Thursday night’s CNN debate, Kemp advised that Trump not focus beyond complaints to appeal to influential voters.
“Trump has a wonderful opportunity to think about the future. Without looking in the rearview mirror, without focusing on the past, but focusing on the contrast of the future,” Kemp said.
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News reporter based in London, UK. It focuses on American politics, domestic politics, and the courts. He joined Newsweek in February 2018 after spending several years working at the UK’s International Business Times, where he reported primarily on crime. , politics and existing issues. Prior to that, he worked as a freelancer after graduating from the University of Sunderland in 2010. Languages: English.
You can reach Ewan by emailing e. palmer@newsweek. com.
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