Wednesday, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia said that he did not vote for former President Donald Trump in the March GOP primary in his state.
“I didn’t pick anyone to win.” “I voted, but I didn’t vote for anyone,” Kemp told Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” on CNN the day before the historic debate in his home state.”I mean, the race was over by the time the primary came around,” he said. “I always try to go vote and, you know, play a part in it, but look at that point, it didn’t matter.”
Even though Kemp didn’t vote for Trump in the primary, he has said that he will “support the ticket” when Trump faces President Joe Biden, who is expected to be the Democratic candidate.
It was clear that he would win before the primary even happened. “I mean, I didn’t back anyone in the race,” Kemp told Collins about Trump. “I was thinking about it, but because of a lot of factors and how things turned out, I didn’t end up doing that. I said all along that I would mostly support the ticket, and that’s what I’m doing this November.”
Kemp told reporters in March that he would vote for the GOP winner in the general election, but he didn’t say at the time if he voted for Trump in the Republican primary.
When the governor spoke, it was just before the first presidential discussion, which was being held by CNN and featuring Trump and Biden. When he speaks in Atlanta, he told the previous president, with whom he has a bad history, to focus on the future and not risk the support of swing voters.
“Donald Trump has a great chance to really think ahead.” Kemp said, “Do not look in the rearview mirror or think about the past. Instead, keep your mind on the future contrast.”
On November 8, 2020, Trump lost Georgia to Biden by more than 11,000 votes. Since 1992, when Bill Clinton was president, Biden is the first Democrat to win Georgia.
Kemp and Trump got into a fight when Kemp refused to call a special session of the legislature to help Trump change the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump was so mad at Kemp that he promised to quit politics and backed a primary opponent in the 2022 Republican primary for governor. It was a terrible move, and Kemp beat David Perdue by more than 50 points.
Kemp said he hasn’t talked to Trump directly and that his team hasn’t reached out to him, but he suggested that he could look past their tense past to help Republican causes.
“Let’s see how the race goes and what they might need or ask for.” But, I mean, I’m focused on giving out the ticket right now so we win. Kemp said, “I mean, no matter what our history is together, I have a deep desire for Georgia to stay in Republican hands.”
Kemp said he is “very confident” that democracy would hold when asked if he was worried that Trump would try to overturn the election again.
“I don’t worry too much about the democratic institutions; they held up well under a lot of stress,” he said. Democracy has been pushed and squished in this country before, and it will be again. However, I am sure that it will hold.
