ASHBURN, Georgia — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is trying to beat Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams at her own game.
The Republican governor has spent the past two weeks crisscrossing the state on a big black-and-red bus with “Join the Fight” emblazoned on the side. He’s been shaking hands, taking pictures, and listening to rural voters he hopes will turn up at the polls for him on Nov. 8.
At Carroll’s Sausage & Country Store in Ashburn, a group of right-leaning Georgians recently lined up to meet the governor and his wife, Marty.
MIDTERMS 2022 LIVE: UPDATES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AHEAD OF CRUCIAL ELECTION
“[Politicians] usually make their way out here once, when there’s an election, to make us feel important,” Sally Corso told the Washington Examiner about an hour before Georgia’s first couple showed up. “It’s a big deal around here. They seem really sweet.”
Kemp didn’t disappoint. The typically button-down, barely-cracks-a-smile governor walked off his bus and waved to the crowd.
He wore a blue and white checkered shirt, brown shoes, and a brown belt. His shirt had “Kemp for Governor” stitched on it. It’s about as folksy as Kemp, who lives in the upscale Atlanta enclave of Buckhead, was going to get. Kemp also has a farm in Athens.
He told the crowd what they want to hear: He had kept Georgia open when President Joe Biden wanted to shut it down during the pandemic. He said he’d fight tirelessly for small business owners, push through 40-year-high inflation, and make sure local law enforcement had the funding it needed. His talking points, which were largely cut and pasted from the previous four stops he made that day in South Georgia, were a hit.
“He’ll watch out for us,” Corso’s pal, who only wanted to be identified as Rhonda, told the Washington Examiner. “If Stacey Abrams wins, we might as well pack up and move.”
That’s the exact sentiment Kemp was going for. He knows that in order to win, he must deliver a clear message and tie Abrams to Biden as much as possible.
Kemp’s campaign also circled parts of North Georgia and the mountains that it believes could provide strong voter turnout. The emphasis on that rural region is a notable shift in the GOP’s strategy in a state that has seen Abrams run an epic ground game that mobilized thousands of Georgia voters and brought her within 1.4 percentage points of the governor’s mansion in 2018.
Following her loss, Abrams applied her strategy to help other Democrats win their races in pivotal matchups. She has been heralded by former President Barack Obama and villainized by former President Donald Trump. Whether you loved her or hated her, Abrams was a force to be reckoned with, and her 2022 rematch with Kemp has turned into one of the most-watched state races in the country.
KEMP SAYS GEORGIA VOTERS ‘CAME TO THEIR SENSES’ OVER TRUMP VENDETTA
The Republican Party grew into a powerhouse in Georgia after it combined strong performances in Atlanta’s suburbs with its footprint in rural regions. For a while, the GOP seemed unstoppable. But now, with a more diverse crowd settling in Atlanta and its suburbs, Republicans are finding it harder to assert dominance. And despite being popular with a core crowd, Trump’s presence in the state has divided voters. The changing dynamics have put pressure on Kemp’s campaign to shore up as much support as it can in rural communities to help offset losses in Atlanta.
Bernard Fraga, an Emory University political scientist, said the Georgia GOP “understands that now they need votes in North Georgia to compensate for their losses in the suburbs.”
In August, Kemp, who criticized federal COVID-19 relief money as wasteful, announced he would allocate $240 million, on top of an earlier $400 million, for rural broadband.
Lawmakers in the state had been trying for years to get high-speed internet service into rural communities. The lack of service was highlighted during the pandemic when millions of Georgia schoolchildren were forced to pivot to remote learning but couldn’t.
“Whether you own a small business in rural Georgia, run a farm that utilizes precision agriculture technology, or have children that need to do their homework, the expansion of high-speed internet impacts all Georgians,” Kemp said.
As the governor continues to court rural constituents, Democratic strategist Dave McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner not to count Abrams out yet, adding that the landscape can be hard to penetrate.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I was at the state fair in Perry on Friday, and you get the sense the easiest way to commit suicide and still have your family collect the insurance money would be to walk around there with Democratic paraphernalia,” he said. “I know that’s a harsh assessment, but I don’t know how you begin to campaign in an environment like that.”
