Cook Political Report Labels Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Most Vulnerable GOP Incumbent

Cook Political Report released their 2022 governor race ratings – and stamped a big warning on Georgia: “Gov. Brian Kemp is very much in danger.” The race ratings agency also noted that Kemp is likely the most vulnerable incumbent governor.

Kemp has pressure coming from all sides. He’s facing a fractured Republican base, and an increasingly Democratic landscape – meaning a tough primary and an even tougher general election.

Disgraced President Donald Trump blames Kemp for his loss in Georgia and has been going after him with a vengeance, suggesting Kemp should be “jailed,” encouraging Georgians to “vote him out of office” and actively recruiting primary challengers, which include Rep. Doug Collins and football player Herschel Walker. Trump even threatened in-person appearances in Georgia, saying“I’ll be here in about a year and a half campaigning against your governor, I guarantee you that.”

Then there’s the strong possibility that a Democratic candidate could replicate the success and expand the work of President Joe Biden and Georgia’s newest Senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, in the general. And thanks to the efforts of Democrats like Stacey Abrams, Black voter engagement in the state has been increasingly high. In the November 2020 election, voter turnout in Georgia was more than 74%, mostly due to early voting by Black Georgians, up 40% from 2016.

As Donald Trump said, “I can’t imagine he’s ever getting elected again, I’ll tell you that much right now.”

Republicans in Georgia are clearly scared of Democrats’ momentum – state legislators recently rolled out a package clearly meant to disenfranchise communities of color and limit voter turnout.

“Brian Kemp is hanging on by a thread in Georgia,” said Communications Director David Turner. “Donald Trump’s threats ensure a long, messy, and expensive primary. And if Kemp does manage to squeak through, he’s facing a tough general election in America’s newest blue state. It will be our absolute pleasure to send Brian Kemp packing in 2022 – we too can’t imagine he’s ever getting elected again.”