 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 56.80%  14.55pp | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||
   Kemp:
40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Abrams: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
_(cropped).jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
| Elections in Georgia |
|---|
 |
The 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. Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp won the election, defeating Democratic former State Representative Stacey Abrams.
The primary elections were held on May 22, 2018, and a primary runoff was held on July 24, 2018, between Republican candidates Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle; Kemp prevailed. Incumbent Republican governor Nathan Deal was term-limited and thus could not seek a third consecutive term. Abrams won the Democratic primary with over 75% of the vote, allowing her to avoid a runoff. Kemp was the sitting Secretary of State at the time of the election. Kemp's position led to accusations of a conflict of interest, as Kemp oversaw the administration of an election in which he was the candidate.
On November 7, Kemp declared victory over Abrams. The following morning, Kemp resigned as Secretary of State.[1] On November 16, every county certified their votes with Kemp leading by roughly 55,000 votes.[2] Shortly after the election certification, Abrams suspended her campaign; she accepted Kemp as the legal winner of the election while refusing to say that the election was legitimate.[3][4] Abrams has since claimed numerous[5] instances of election activity that allegedly unfairly affected the results. Following the election, Abrams and her organization Fair Fight filed a number of lawsuits challenging the constitutionality and Voting Rights Act compliance of Georgia's voting laws.[6]
Kemp prevailed by 54,723 votes, defeating Abrams 50.2–48.8%. Georgia's 2018 gubernatorial election was its closest governor's race since 1966.[7] Kemp was re-elected governor in 2022 in a rematch with Abrams.
- ^ "Brian Kemp resigns as Georgia secretary of state". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg. "Abrams ends run for governor against Kemp, but won't concede". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ AP (November 16, 2018). "The Latest: Abrams says she will sue over Georgia election". AP. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Krieg, Gregory. "Stacey Abrams acknowledges Brian Kemp win in Georgia governor's race". CNN. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Hasen, Richard L. (2020). Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy. Yale University Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-300-24819-7.
- ^ Brumback, Kate (April 9, 2022). "Election lawsuit backed by Stacey Abrams goes to trial in Georgia". PBS. Associated Press.
- ^ Blinder, Alan; Fausset, Richard (November 16, 2018). "Stacey Abrams Ends Fight for Georgia Governor With Harsh Words for Her Rival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2019.