Anna Roberts is a junior honors student studying political science and 7-12 social studies teacher education at the University of Arkansas. She is from Hot Springs, and spends her time working on statewide and local campaigns. She plans on teaching civics and pursuing a law degree.
The Georgia gubernatorial race this year is one of the most closely watched races in the nation. How could it not be? Second time challenger and former State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams steps back into the ring again with Governor Brian Kemp (and less notably, former candidate for GA-7 and Libertarian candidate, Shane Hazel, as well as two other write-in candidates).
Throughout the campaign, Governor Kemp has made specific mention of the pandemic on multiple occasions. Priding himself on what he regards to be a successful pandemic response and reopening, Governor Kemp has set his sights on decreasing gang violence and continuing First Lady Marty Kemp’s work on human trafficking in his next term if reelected. He touts his record as governor of Georgia, referencing his controversial gun law that legalized concealed carry without a license. Governor Kemp also signed SB2 after the 2020 election, which placed new voting restrictions that critics argue amount to voter suppression. During their last match, Governor Kemp’s margin of victory was small due to overwhelming Democratic mail-in and early voting turnout, which the Governor clearly hopes to avoid this time. Contrasting Governor Kemp’s status quo agenda, Abrams has been focused on social mobility, economic prosperity and education, as well as support for rural Georgians through infrastructure. However, with over two million active voters of color in the state of Georgia, it seems some may be tired of the Democratic platform.
Both candidates have been busy this quarter, raising a combined $25 million, which large portions of each coming from the candidates’ respective leadership committees. While Abrams may have outraised Governor Kemp, his financial reports reflect having more cash on hand.
Abrams has more standing in her way than just Governor Kemp—throughout Georgia people are reporting mysterious robocalls mimicking an Abrams supporter, suggesting that Abrams supports abortion “up until the day of birth.” Fight Fair Action, Abrams’ voting-rights-oriented law firm, has also been the subject of controversy, with a close friend of Abrams having received upwards of $9.4 million from the organization in 2019 and 2020—only uncovered by Fair Fight Action v. Raffensperger, which wrapped up earlier this month.
This election is interesting for many reasons—the demographic makeup chief among them. However, this race is also special because of Georgia’s election rules. Polling has painted a picture of a solid Kemp victory, with some margins of success in the double digits. However, if no one candidate receives over 50% of the vote, an automatic runoff occurs. This would kick off a grueling four week period of campaigning for both candidates across Georgia, with most of us glued to our seats if it happens. So, there is a possibility that Governor Kemp and Stacey Abrams may have to run again this year—all thanks to Libertarian Shane Hazel, who could potentially pull enough voters away from the two main parties to trigger such an election.
Prediction: I project that Governor Kemp will win, although there remains a chance that this race will go to a December runoff.