Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (center) arrives for an election night party on July 24 in Athens, Georgia. | John Amis/AP Photo Kemp wins Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp won the Republican nomination for governor of his state Tuesday night, following a late endorsement by President Donald Trump.

Kemp defeated Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in the primary runoff, two months after Cagle finished ahead of Kemp in the initial primary. But neither man got the requisite majority to win the nomination, prompting the head-to-head contest.


Kemp had 68 percent of the vote to Cagle’s 32 percent when The Associated Press called the primary with just over one-third of precincts reporting.

Though Cagle finished first in the initial primary, he endured a rough two-month slog against Kemp, including a steady release of secret audio recordings in which Cagle discussed shepherding policies through the state legislature for political gain and said Republican primary voters wanted to support the “craziest” candidate.

Gov. Nathan Deal weighed in on Cagle’s behalf, but his endorsement was eclipsed by Trump, who backed Kemp on Twitter last week, surprising supporters of both candidates who had not expected the president to get involved.

Now, Kemp faces a general election sprint against Democrat Stacey Abrams, who locked up her party’s nomination in May.

The contest will put before Georgia voters one of the sharpest contrasts of any major campaign in the country this fall. Kemp has campaigned as a resolute supporter of Trump and his policies and attitudes, saying in campaign ads that he has a big pickup truck “just in case I need to round up criminal illegals.” Kemp also showcased his support for gun rights in ads, in which he handled a shotgun while sitting next to a prospective date for one of his daughters. And Kemp has pledged to “cap government spending” and “take a chainsaw to regulations” as governor.

Abrams, a former state House minority leader, would be the nation’s first black female governor if elected. She has campaigned on spending more on education and other services, and on expanding voting rights — an issue that has already brought her and Kemp into conflict. Abrams has said her path to victory relies on bringing Georgia residents who don’t typically vote to the ballot box this November, and her nonprofit has worked to register large numbers of voters in the past. But Kemp is a proponent of voter ID laws criticized by Abrams, and in 2014, his office criticized Abrams’ voter-registration group for allegedly improperly submitting thousands of new voter forms.

The Republican Governors Association began a TV ad campaign attacking Abrams as “radical” earlier Tuesday, before the GOP primary was decided. The well-funded group, which is run by veteran Georgia political operative Paul Bennecke, has purchased TV time in Georgia for the next two weeks, according to Advertising Analytics.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Governors Association on Monday gave $250,000 to the Georgia Democratic Party to boost Abrams. Priorities USA, the Democratic outside group, has also contributed to the state party in support of Abrams.

A recent WXIA-TV/Survey USA poll testing a matchup between Kemp and Abrams, conducted in mid-July before Kemp won the nomination, found a close race, with Kemp getting 46 percent to Abrams’ 44 percent.