Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appears before grand jury on 2020 election interference allegations in Kemp’s home state.
The 2020 battleground is becoming harder and harder for Democrats to hold on to after a wave election season. With Trump’s approval rating now around 39 percent nationally, the 2018 midterm elections demonstrated the danger Democrats face on the national level. While Georgia could not prevent the governor from winning reelection outright, the state does put Kemp in a position where he could be vulnerable to Republican nominee Brian Kemp, a Trump loyalist and former presidential adviser. During a debate, Rep. Rob Woodall of Georgia told voters to cast their votes against Kemp, saying the Republican could give Republicans their first victory of the midterms.
“We’re not going to let Donald Trump win in Georgia,” Kemp responded.
But Trump could still lose the state. And after a long investigation, Kemp could be forced to resign, leaving his party to rally behind the embattled governor. A few months following his reelection, Kemp’s troubles may intensify. On Jan. 10, the Department of Justice announced its investigation into potential election interference by the state’s election commission, and more than a month later, it was revealed in the special counsel’s report that there was evidence of systemic election hacking, and it identified Kemp as involved. As a result, the White House has called for a “thorough, independent review” of the investigation.
The potential fallout from the investigation has put Kemp in an invidious position. If accepted by the DOJ, it could remove him from office, but it would also damage Kemp’s reputation, potentially forcing him to resign. And if accepted by voters and the Georgia Supreme Court, it could open Kemp for political prosecution.
But if accepted by federal prosecutors, Kemp would not resign. And Kemp understands the stakes. The governor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in August that he is aware of a federal investigation and hopes that he can “clear my name.”
While Trump and Republicans have attacked all Democrats as “socialists,” Kemp says that he is more concerned with the perception that the state party is “trying to stop me from being governor.” He says that the election is “about the future and about issues of the state that are important to Georgians, and I can