Why Georgia’s conservative GOP governor isn't afraid to 'slam Trump’s 2020 obsession'

Many Republican governors are afraid to say a word against 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. But Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is among the exceptions, continuing to push back against Trump's false and debunked claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him and rejecting the MAGA push to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporters Adam Van Brimmer, Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell examine the ongoing tensions between the conservative Georgia governor and Trump in a report published on September 11.

"Since refusing to engage Trump during last year's gubernatorial reelection campaign," the reporters explain, "Kemp has slammed Trump's obsession with his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden, rebuked the former president's lies about widespread election fraud, criticized his foreign policy and called him a 'loser' for skipping the first GOP debate."

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Unlike many of the Republican governors who remain staunch Trump defenders, Kemp is not in a deep red state. Georgia, in recent years, has evolved into a complex and volatile swing state. Kemp was reelected in 2022, but so was liberal Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia).

"With a second term win under his belt," the AJC journalists observe, "Kemp is freer to speak his mind while also maintaining he'd support Trump if he wins the nomination."

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Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's full report at this link (subscription required).