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Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp told NBC News Thursday that he can "absolutely" win reelection as governor in November without former President Donald Trump's support.
"I didn't get in the race not to win in November. My mission for three and a half years now has been to be ready and have a record of beating Stacey Abrams again," Kemp told NBC News in Greensboro, Georgia. "We knew this day was coming. That's the fight that I wanted. It’s the fight I’m going to get."
Here's the full exchange:
NBC News: Can you win in November without Trump’s support?
Kemp: “Absolutely. I didn’t get in the race not to win in November. My mission for three and a half years now has been to be ready and have a record of beating Stacey Abrams again. We knew this day was coming. That’s the fight that I wanted. It’s the fight I’m going to get. But I realize we got to get through Tuesday first, so I’m asking people for their vote and their support.”
Kemp's comments come just a few days ahead of the Georgia's May 24 primary for governor, where Trump has endorsed former Sen. David Perdue. Perdue announced he would challenge Kemp for the governorship in December.
Since then, the two had been engaged in a tough primary fight. However, it increasingly looks like Kemp will emerge from the primary with more than 50 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff.
A Fox News poll out yesterday found that 60 percent of voters plan to vote for Kemp, versus just 28 percent who plan to vote for Perdue on Tuesday.
If Kemp wins outright, he will officially be in the race to the general election against likely Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams.
Abrams ran against Kemp in 2018, coming within two percentage points of beating him.
In September 2021, before Perdue jumped into the race, Trump indicated that he would not support Kemp's reelection and even said, "Stacey, would you like to take his place? It’s OK with me ... Of course having her, I think, might be better than having your existing governor, if you want to know what I think. Might very well be better.”
