Candidates Set: Abrams, Kemp Will Compete To Be Georgia’s Next Governor

Georgia Republicans have chosen Brian Kemp to face Democrat Stacey Abrams for governor. Their November matchup will test history and highlight the widening gulf between the two major parties in style and substance in the era of President Donald Trump.

Kemp, a two-term secretary of state, trounced longtime Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in a runoff Tuesday after campaigning as a “politically incorrect conservative” and welcoming Trump’s endorsement. The intraparty tussle was marked by hard-line rhetoric on guns, immigration and government spending.

Abrams, who has become a national Democratic celebrity in her bid to become the United States’ first black female governor, dominated her primary in May after pledging to expand Medicaid insurance and spend more on education, infrastructure and job training.