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Georgia‘s Governor Brian Kemp was greeted with a chorus of boos when he took the stage at the state’s Republican convention, evidence that conservative voters still have not forgiven him for not overturning the 2020 election result in favour of Donald Trump.
Maya Prabhu, a reporter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reported that Mr Kemp spoke for 30 seconds before the jeers died down enough for the press to hear him.
Despite their disdain, she reported that the crowd did cheer when Mr Kemp bragged that Georgia was the first state to reopen during the pandemic.
Mr Kemp called for unity among Republicans in order to defeat Democrats in upcoming elections.
“We must be strong and courageous,” Mr Kemp said. “[Democrats] got Hollywood. They’ve got billionaires in New York and California. … That is why we have to be united as well and move forward together.”
Republican lawmakers suffered two major losses in the 2020 presidential elections and then the Senate run-offs in January, with former Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue losing their seats to challengers Jon Osoff and Raphael Warnock.
Despite his calls for unity, Mr Kemp never mentioned Mr Trump in his speech, nor did he reference fraudulent allegations that the 2020 election was stolen.
Perhaps more troubling for Mr Kemp is the response that his primary challenger, former Democrat Vernon Jones, received.
The crowds gave “the most raucous reception” for Mr Jones, according to the newspaper, when he took the stage. Mr Jones is a vocal supporter of Mr Trump.
The former president blamed Mr Kemp for not overturning the state’s election in his favour.
“Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan won’t be running again for office. He was the one who, along with Governor Brian Kemp, stopped the Georgia State Senate from doing the job they wanted to do on the 2020 Presidential Election Fraud. Duncan’s fight against Election Fraud made him unelectable,” Mr Trump said in May.
Mr Kemp defended himself by saying any attempt he made trying to force the legislature to change the election process would be challenged and found unconstitutional.
“Any attempt by the legislature to retroactively change that process for the Nov 3rd election would be unconstitutional and immediately enjoined by the courts, resulting in a long legal dispute and no short-term resolution,” Mr Kemp said.
Mr Trump recorded a video message for the convention in which he praised Georgia Republicans in general, though he never mentioned Mr Kemp.
He promised he would be returning to George for a rally “in the very near future.”
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