2018 Georgia gubernatorial election

2018 Georgia gubernatorial election

The 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018. Incumbent Republican Governor Nathan Deal was term-limited and thus could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp won the election, defeating Democratic former State Representative Stacey Abrams by nearly 55,000 votes. This was the closest governor’s race in Georgia since 1966.

About 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election in brief

Summary 2018 Georgia gubernatorial electionThe 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, concurrently with other statewide and local elections to elect the next governor of the U.S. state of Georgia. Incumbent Republican Governor Nathan Deal was term-limited and thus could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp won the election, defeating Democratic former State Representative Stacey Abrams by nearly 55,000 votes. If no candidate had gained a simple majority of the votes in the general election, a runoff election between the top two candidates would have been held four weeks later on December 4, 2018.

This was the closest governor’s race in Georgia since 1966. Brian Kemp easily won the runoff by nearly 40 points despite the latest polls having him up by no more than 18. President Trump tweeted his support for Kemp, and Vice President Pence traveled to Georgia to campaign with him on July 20. During the campaign, he was called upon by former President and former Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter and the Georgia chapters of the NAACP and Common Cause, to resign. Kemp refused to do so until after he claimed victory, two days following the election.