Trump Endorsement Adds Fuel To Heated Georgia Governor Primary

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Republican primary candidate for governor, received a late endorsement from President Trump after about two months of a bruising race to get the GOP nomination.

John Amis / AP

The ugly and close race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Georgia has become even more heated. Last Wednesday, with less than a week before the primary runoff election, President Trump unexpectedly endorsed Brian Kemp, Georgia’s secretary of state.

“Brian is tough on crime, strong on the border and illegal immigration,” Trump tweeted. “He loves our Military and our Vets and protects our Second Amendment. I give him my full and total endorsement.”

And the president is popular with Republicans in Georgia. Ahead of the Tuesday primary, 21 percent of likely Republican primary voters said their main reason for casting a ballot is to support the stronger ally of Trump, according to a recent poll conducted by the University of Georgia for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.