Secretary of State Brian Kemp has won a bruising Republican runoff in the race for Georgia governor, leveraging a damning secret recording of his opponent and a late Trump-Pence endorsement.

With Tuesday’s win against Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Kemp faces Democrat Stacey Abrams. She could become the country’s first black woman governor.

The race will test Democrats’ assertion that changing demographics have turned the Republican stronghold into a swing state.

Cagle’s campaign was rocked by a secret recording in which he says he helped pass a “bad public-policy” bill for political gain.

Gov. Nathan Deal and the National Rifle Association supported Cagle. But Kemp was boosted by the president’s endorsement.

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