Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appears to be not only basking in the glow of his recent win in 2022, but is also apparently feeling himself enough to consider stepping out onto the national stage.
Politico reports that Kemp, 59, has expanded his political action committee, Hardworking Americans, and signed Jenny Drucker and Alex Lawhon to work as national fundraisers for the PAC.
The PAC recently launched a website, complete with a glossy video of Kemp, with his wife and three daughters on election night, delivering his January inaugural speech.
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Campaign Action
According to Politico, Kemp has been mentioned by Republicans for a possible senate seat, a vice presidential role, or even the oval office.
The governor will take his place on a more national state in late February when he appears at a Republican donor conference in Austin, Texas, organized by GOP strategist Karl Rove. He’ll join former U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
In a statement obtained by Politico, the executive director for Hardworking Americans, Cody Hall, said the new PAC supports “candidates who have a backbone, who are principled conservatives, and who put the hardworking men and women of this country first.”
While it is true that Kemp denied former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results in 2020, Kemp has spared no expense in suppressing elections in his own home state.
“I was as frustrated as anyone else with the results, especially at the federal level. And we did something about it with Senate Bill 202,” Kemp said during a debate with his Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams. Essentially admitting publicly why he signed SB 202, “one of the most egregious voter suppression laws in the country,” as Georgia Democrats write.
SB 2020, aka the “Election Integrity Act of 2021,” made radical changes to the way people could vote in Georgia. The anti-voter law attacks absentee voting, criminalizes Georgians who hand out water or food to those standing in line to vote, allows the state to take control of county elections, and provides for the takeover of the elected Secretary of State and replaces the role with a State Board of Elections Chair assigned by the legislature and not the voters, ACLU of Georgia reports.
As for other Republicans chomping at the bit for a chance to run the nation, authoritarian Gov. Ron DeSantis is at the precipice of announcing his 2024 run.
The Hill reported Thursday that DeSantis’ advisors are seeking new hires for his campaign, and there are plans for the announcement.
A Republican operative told the Hill, “I think his mind is pretty much made up at this point,” one Republican operative said. “My read on it is: Let’s get through session, get some stuff done and see where things stand. But unless something changes drastically between now and then, I’d say he’s a go.”
DeSantis is already in the crosshairs of former President Donald Trump, who announced his 2024 run last month. Trump has called DeSantis a “RINO GLOBALIST” and accused the governor of “trying to rewrite history” on his COVID-19 response.
“The real Ron is a RINO GLOBALIST, who closed quickly down Florida and even its beaches. Loved the Vaccines and wasted big money on ‘Testing.’ How quickly people forget!,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Sarah Longwell is a longtime Republican strategist and prominent never-Trumper. Her podcast, The Focus Group, is a peek at the thousands of hours of focus groups she has conducted all across the country. Sarah comes on to give her thoughts about the state of the current Republican Party and why its future remains bleak.