Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, refused to concede in her race against Republican Brian Kemp, but has said there is no possibility of her defeating Kemp and has concluded her bid for Georgia governor.
“I acknowledge that former Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be certified as the victor in the 2018 gubernatorial election,” Abrams said Friday.
“This speech is not a concession, because concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true, or proper,” Abrams said. “As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede that. But, my assessment is the law currently allows no further viable remedy. Now, I can certainly bring a new case to keep this one contest alive, but I don’t want to hold public office if I need to scheme my way into the post. Because the title of governor isn’t nearly as important as our shared title: voters. And that is why we fight on.”
Abrams said that she would be filing a federal lawsuit challenging the “gross mismanagement” of the election though, according to the Associated Press.
Kemp received approximately 58,000 more votes than Abrams, according to the New York Times. Altogether, Kemp secured 50.3 percent of the votes and Abrams won 48.8 percent.
“I appreciate her passion, hard work, and commitment to public service,” Kemp said. “The election is over and hardworking Georgians are ready to move forward. We can no longer dwell on the divisive politics of the past but must focus on Georgia’s bright and promising future.”
Georgia law requires that a winner must obtain more than a 50 percent majority of the votes to secure a win. If no one crosses that threshold, a runoff will occur.
Kemp will become Georgia’s 83rd governor.
