Who is running in the Georgia governor race in 2022?
Perdue throws hat into the ring
Former US Senator David Perdue said he will be running for Georgia governor, looking to unseat incumbent Governor Brian Kemp and defeat former DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones in the Republican primary. Perdue, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, said he is running to keep Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams taking the state's top executive post.
ATLANTA - The fight to become Georgia's governor is well underway.
The Republican primary is shaping up to be contentious, but Gov. Brian Kemp will fend off attacks from more than his own party. Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams recently launched her bid for Georgia governor.
Here's who's currently contending in the race for Georgia's governor in 2022.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Republican
Gov. Brian Kemp may be the incumbent in the race, but he's facing a handful of primary challengers.
Kemp was criticized by his own party for not taking former President Donald Trump's side in the 2020 election fight. Trump made unproven claims of fraud in Georgia, which Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disputed.
Kemp's touted his record as governor, taking responsibility for "making Georgia the number-one state in the country for business, growing our economy even in the middle of a global pandemic, largest teacher pay raises in state history, passed 52 health care bills dealing with transparency and antiquated outdated rules and regulations, lowering private-sector health insurance costs but also working to provide more access to the needy that are out there."
Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, Republican
Former Sen. David Perdue's bid for governor became apparent on Dec. 5 when a website and text updates launched. He made the official announcement on Monday.
Perdue lost his re-election bid for Senate against Sen. Jon Ossoff in a runoff in January 2021.
Born in Macon, Perdue was a business consultant, then an executive at companies shifting clothing production to Asia. He became CEO of Reebok, textile firm PillowTex and discount retailer Dollar General. The cousin of Sonny Perdue, a former governor and U.S. agriculture secretary, David Perdue was elected to the Senate in 2014, beating Democrat Michelle Nunn.
Perdue was a supporter of Kemp, and the sitting governor said last week that he hoped Perdue "was a man of his word" when it came to providing his support.
Trump teased Perdue's run during a rally in Perry, Georgia.
Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, Democrat
The Democratic field in the 2022 race for governor was relatively quiet until Stacey Abrams launched her campaign in a video on Dec. 1.
Abrams said she's dedicated to uniting the state, and she's accused GOP candidates of dividing it.
Abrams said, as governor, she would implement a state vaccination program, work with law enforcement to address crime and advocate to expand Medicaid.
Abrams is a former Georgia House minority leader who ran for governor in 2018 and narrowly lost to Kemp.
Former Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones, Republican - Drops Out
UPDATE: Vernon Jones announced on Feb. 7 he would suspend his bid for governor. Instead, Jones said he would seek election to Congress representing Georgia's 10th Congressional District. Jones has been endorsed by former President Trump in the congressional race/ He stated he is backing David Perdue for governor.
Vernon Jones is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, saying that he supports the former president’s handling of the economy and his criminal justice reform efforts.
The former DeKalb County Democrat now aligns with Republicans. Jones broke party ranks with Democrats to endorse former President Donald Trump’s reelection, saying that he was supporting Trump because of the Republican president’s handling of the economy and his criminal justice reform efforts.
Jones has offered his own criticism of Kemp, tweeting, "If it weren’t for Brian Kemp, Donald Trump would still be President of these United States."
Jones is a former state representative.
Kandiss Taylor, Republican
Kandiss Taylor is a GOP activist who works as a school counselor in Appling County.
Taylor has been outspoken against the established Republican candidates. Taylor called for an audit of the 2020 election.
She said she supports gun rights and is pro-life. On her campaign site, Taylor says some of the topics she's passionate about include education and mental health.
Taylor tweeted a response to Stacey Abrams' campaign announcement:
"We will have our first female governor. A true Georgian who represents the people, morality, the nuclear family, and protects the Constitution at all cost. I just happen to be the one who stepped up and has worked as hard as humanly possible."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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