2022 Georgia gubernatorial election

Incumbent governor Brian Kemp faced criticism from former president Donald Trump for his refusal to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. Kemp was booed at the Georgia Republican Convention in June 2021, and in December former senator David Perdue announced a primary challenge to Kemp and was promptly endorsed by Trump. Initial polling showed a competitive race, however, Kemp significantly outraised his opponent and signed conservative legislation such as permitless carry of firearms and a temporary suspension of the gas tax that shored up his position among voters, and on election day, he won by over 50 points, a margin far larger than predicted. Candidates Nominee • Brian Kemp, incumbent governor (2019–present) and former secretary of state of Georgia (2010–2018) finished second in the primary. Eliminated in primary • Catherine Davis, HR professional • David Perdue, former U.S. senator from Georgia (2015–2021) • Tom Williams, civil service retiree Withdrawn • Vernon Jones, former state representative (1993–2001, 2017–2021, Democratic until 2020) and CEO of DeKalb County (2001–2009) (endorsed Perdue) (ran for U.S. House in GA-10) Declined • Doug Collins, former U.S. representative for (2013–2021) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 • Herschel Walker, former American football player (ran for U.S. Senate) Debates Endorsements {{Endorsements box Executive branch officials • George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States (2001–2009) • Mike Pence, 48th vice president of the United States (2017–2021) U.S. governors • Chris Christie, 55th governor of New Jersey (2010–2018) and candidate for president of the United States in 2016 Fundraising Polling Graphical summary Aggregate polls Runoff polling Doug Collins vs. Brian Kemp Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Brian Kemp Brian Kemp vs. David Perdue Brian Kemp vs. Herschel Walker Results {{Election box begin no change ==Democratic primary==

Candidates Nominee • Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight Action, former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives (2011–2017) and nominee for governor in 2018 Declined • Kasim Reed, former mayor of Atlanta (2010–2018) (ran for mayor) Endorsements Results {{Election box begin no change ==Independent and third-party candidates==

Declared • Al Bartell (independent), businessman, U.S. Air Force veteran, and perennial candidate • Shane T. Hazel (Libertarian), radio host, Republican candidate for in 2018, and Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020 ==General election==

Predictions Debates Endorsements Fundraising Polling Aggregate polls Graphical summary Vernon Jones vs. Stacey Abrams Doug Collins vs. Stacey Abrams David Perdue vs. Stacey Abrams Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Stacey Abrams Herschel Walker vs. Stacey Abrams Results {{Election box begin By county Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican • Baldwin (largest city: Milledgeville) • Clay (largest city: Fort Gaines) • Jefferson (largest city: Louisville) • Sumter (largest city: Americus) By congressional district Kemp won nine of 14 congressional districts. == Analysis ==

Libertarian Shane T. Hazel, the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, also declared he would run. This race was one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 in a state carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Kemp won his first term by a narrow 55,000-vote margin (1.4%) in 2018, which was Georgia's closest gubernatorial election since 1966. In 2022, however, pre-election forecasting showed a solid lead for Kemp throughout and he ultimately won re-election by nearly 300,000 votes (7.5%) - the largest raw vote victory for a Georgia governor since 2006. The race was seen as a potential benefit to Herschel Walker, who ran in the concurrent Senate race, as it was speculated Kemp's strong performance could help Walker avoid a runoff. He underperformed compared to Kemp, however, and narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic senator Raphael Warnock in the December 6 runoff election. This was the first time since 1998 that Georgia voted for different parties for Senate and governor. Voter demographics Voter demographic data was collected by CNN. The voter survey is based on exit polls. ==See also==