New poll shows how Brian Kemp stacks up against other Republicans in 2024

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - There’s been speculation – much speculation – about the future political ambitions of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. The only one who’s seemed to remain tight-lipped on his 2024 intentions has been the governor himself.

But now Georgians have a clearer picture of where Kemp might fit into an ever-growing field of potential GOP candidates seeking the party’s nomination.

The poll was conducted by Atlanta-based Landmark Communications, which conducted a statewide poll of 800 likely Georgia Republican primary voters. It found Trump leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by a margin of 40%-32%, with Kemp at 7%.

While Trump continues to lead the Republicans, DeSantis is polling better in Georgia than the rest of the country.

“While people have a very favorable impression of Brian Kemp in Georgia, it’s not yet translating into votes for president,” said Mark Rountree, president. “People simply don’t see Kemp as a candidate yet in a presidential capacity.”

In the poll, Kemp’s 7% comes in as more favorable than declared candidate Nikki Haley (5.9%) and big names in the party like former Vice President Mike Pence (2.4%), businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (2%) and even undecided Georgia voters (6.2%).

Rountree indicated that if Kemp were to mount a presidential bid, it would benefit him to launch a campaign “sooner rather than later.”

Kemp has not formally entered the race and has given no public indications he will launch a 2024 presidential campaign. His office had no comment on the poll released Tuesday.

Kemp, however, has urged other Republican donors, party leaders and voters not to “look in the rearview mirror” as the 2024 presidential election nears, a veiled reference to Trump.

Georgia Poll May 14th by Lindsey Basye on Scribd

In late April, Kemp, as reported by CNN, told donors at a private GOP retreat in Nashville “Not a single swing voter in a single swing state will vote for our nominee if they choose to talk about the 2020 election being stolen.”

The next day, Kemp appeared on State of the Union with Jake Tapper and pushed back on Tapper’s assertion Georgia is a purple state in the wake of recent Democratic successes.

“Georgia is slightly red state, and the message I gave Saturday was pretty simple: we have to tell people what we’re for, we have to be focused on the future, and we have to win,” Kemp, who was handily re-elected last November, said.

“We cannot get distracted,” Kemp said. “If we get distracted by all of these things like the Democrats want us to do such as investigations, that only helps Joe Biden.”

Kemp has also been keeping an active political schedule, speaking last month at the Republican National Committee’s annual meeting, and at a donor retreat in Sea Island, Georgia last week where he told reporters that a presidential run would be up to him and his family. He’s also set to appear at a speaking event in New York later this week.

Kemp was challenged last year in his re-election bid by Democrat Stacey Abrams, once considered one of her Democratic Party’s rising stars. The two faced each other in 2018 in a campaign for Georgia’s then-open governor’s seat, and Abrams lost by only a few thousand votes.

But last year, Kemp handily defeated Abrams and continued a statewide contingent of Republicans again occupying every statewide elected office.

Democrats hold both of Georgia’s U.S. senate seats.

Too many Republican voters are still on the fence about the front-running Trump and DeSantis, Kemp could be viewed as a good middle ground.

“Both of them are a bit extreme and maybe someone a little more moderate would be nice,” said Randy Parrott, a Republican voter who talked to Atlanta News First on Tuesday. “I think he would be a good candidate. I know there are people who think he’s too far right, but he’s a bit moderate and he’ll appeal to a lot of the independent voters. So I think yeah, there’s room for him.”

ANF+ POLITICAL UPDATE: Kemp for President? Analyst breaks down new poll data showing how Georgia governor stacks up

ANF+ Political Update: Kemp for President? New poll shows how Kemp stacks up

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