Abrams-Kemp slugfest promises to be pricey, long and ugly

This combination image shows Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Atlanta, left, and Georgia Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams on Dec. 16, 2021, in Decatur, Ga. The governor's race in Georgia between Republican incumbent Kemp and Democratic challenger Abrams promises to be a brutal battle that will further amp up the state's charged political environment. (AP Photo)

Georgia voters didn’t get much of a break from election talk on the day after the Tuesday primary in which Republican Gov. Brian Kemp demolished GOP challenger David Perdue and Democrat Stacey Abrams finally clinched a nomination waiting for her after no other members of her party jumped in.

The Republican Governors Association, a key contributor to Kemp’s victory, launched a television ad attacking Abrams Wednesday. And the state Democratic Party announced the launch of its coordinated campaign that seeks to grab victories in November for Abrams, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and others.

Those were opening moves in what will be a brutal slog of a governor’s race between Abrams and Kemp, a contest that Republican strategist Ryan Mahoney estimated could cost $250 million overall after campaigns and other groups finish spending.