Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is the Republican candidate for governor, resigned Thursday and will not be involved in any further election-related duties, according to the state.
The announcement came as his campaign has declared victory, but his Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams has refused to concede the close contest two days after Election Day.
“Effective at 11:59 a.m. today, I am stepping down as secretary of state,” Kemp said at a press conference. “I’m proud of with what we have accomplished over the years… It’s easy to vote, and hard to cheat in Georgia, numbers underscore this simple truth.
Kemp has 50.3 percent of the votes while Abrams has 48.7 percent of the vote. Abrams says she will wait until all votes are counted to officially concede to Kemp.
Rus Willard, an attorney with the attorney general’s office in Georgia, revealed Kemp’s resignation Thursday morning in federal court.
Kemp also delivered a letter of resignation to Gov. Nathan Deal, Willard said.
