Fair Fight Founder Stacey Abrams conceded to Gov. Brian Kemp early Wednesday morning in a high-profile rematch of the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election.
The New York Times reports Kemp won, receiving 53.4% of the vote to Abrams’ 45.9%. Kemp collected more than 2.1 million votes to Abrams’ 1.8 million.
In her concession speech, Abrams told her
supporters that she would not stop fighting for them and had no plans to exit politics. “Tonight, I am doing clearly what is the responsible thing, I am suspending my campaign for governor,” she said, according to The Hill.“I may no longer be seeking the office of governor, but I will never stop doing everything in my power to make sure the people in Georgia have a voice.”
Abrams, who founded Fair Fight after losing to Kemp in 2018, spoke on Kemp’s first term saying his leadership has hurt low-income and people of color in Georgia. She also addressed that Kemp passed a law making abortions illegal after six weeks.
Kemp campaigned largely on conservative wins during his first term, including his refusal to issue public health guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic and passing a law allowing residents to purchase a gun without a permit and the state’s $6 billion budget surplus. Kemp fought off former senator and Trump-backed Republican David Perdue
in the GOP primary after refusing to repeat Trump’s election lies amid the former president’s loss in Georgia, which cost him the 2022 presidential election.In the general election, Kemp stumped for those who separated themselves from Trump, including Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin
, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, and former Vice President Mike Pence.Abrams had several notable figures endorsing her, including actor Lin-Manuel Miranda and former talk show host Oprah Winfrey. However, Abrams had trouble reaching conservative-leaning swing voters and Black men in the Peach State, as the number of conservative Black men in Georgia has increased.