Incumbent Brian Kemp (R), Stacey Abrams (D), and three other candidates are running in the general election for governor of Georgia on November 8, 2022.
Kemp and Abrams faced each other in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, with Kemp defeating Abrams 50-49%. Georgia has had a Republican governor since 2003, and President Joe Biden (D) won the state by less than one percentage point in 2020. Politico‘s Brittany Gibson said Kemp and Abrams are “stuffing their campaign war chests for what is expected to be an expensive rematch,” and that “[t]he razor-thin margins for Georgia elections has made fundraising even more competitive since the last gubernatorial election.”
Abrams was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 89 from 2007 to 2017. She also served as House minority leader from 2011 to 2017, when she resigned her seat to run for governor. Abrams’ campaign has emphasized her position on abortion policy and gun regulations in campaign ads and statements. On her campaign website, Abrams said she would “[v]eto legislation that would further restrict abortion rights and work to repeal the 6-week abortion ban.” Abrams also said “violence our neighborhoods face is directly tied to guns and their availability and poor oversight in Georgia,” and that Kemp “cares more about protecting dangerous people carrying guns in public than saving jobs and keeping business in Georgia.”
Kemp was elected governor of Georgia in 2018. He was appointed secretary of state by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) in 2010 and served in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2007. Kemp has emphasized economic issues as a key part of his campaign platform, saying he “put hardworking Georgians first by keeping our state open in the face of a global pandemic, bringing record economic success to communities across Georgia.” Kemp’s campaign said in a statement that Abrams’ policies “will only divide Georgians and hit their pocketbooks, Gov. Kemp will stay focused on helping Georgians fight through 40-year high inflation and the recession brought on by the Biden-Abrams agenda.”
This election has the potential to change Georgia’s state trifecta status. Georgia has had a Republican trifecta—meaning Republicans controlled the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature—since 2005.
Minor party, independent, and write-in candidates running for governor include Shane Hazel (L) and independent candidates Elbert Bartell and President Boddie.
This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022. There are currently 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors in the United States.