2022 GA-GOV: Stacey Abrams (D) vs Brian Kemp (R)

[Real Texan Politics]

Despite blowback from the MAGA base, Brian Kemp narrowly wins the republican primary against former democrat-turned-republican congressman Vernon Jones, a major ally of former president Donald Trump. It is also worth noting that Jones also received the key Trump endorsement against Kemp. Kemp's running mate is, once again, incumbent republican lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan.

On the democratic side, despite a late entry due to a speaking tour throughout the United States, Stacey Abrams is the clear frontrunner, and wins the primary by a landslide, winning every county in the state as if she was the incumbent governor. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, is her running mate, running for lieutenant governor.

Fundraising wise, there is no contest. Abrams quickly becomes the most donated to gubernatorial candidate in all of American history, racking up donations from all 50 states, but still mostly from Georgia. This already makes this election the most expensive gubernatorial election in all of American history as well. Kemp, meanwhile, is very underwater from fundraising, as most hardcore Trump supporters refuse to donate to him. Some even vow to write-in Donald Trump himself for governor, despite him not living (and never living) in Georgia.

The debates for this race become some of the most watched non-presidential debates in American history. While Kemp focuses on Georgia's growing economy, Abrams' primary focus is on voting rights (naturally as she is the most well known voting rights activist in America). Abrams hits and bruises Kemp where it hurts on just about every issue, but especially voting rights and Kemp's voter ID law. Abrams was the clear winner in all debates, which even some republicans agreed on as they started worrying about how Kemp would perform against a strong democrat candidate like Abrams. Some even say this would be Obama vs McCain 2.0.......

.......and they would be right, sorta.

Stay tuned for election results!

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

So this is a TL?

[Real Texan Politics]

So this is a TL?

Yea, probably should've added that to the title. Oh well.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

So this is a TL?

Yea, probably should've added that to the title. Oh well.

Still cool. Has Biden gotten anything done at this point?

[Terlylane]

Kemp wins a stunning victory.

[Real Texan Politics]

So this is a TL?

Yea, probably should've added that to the title. Oh well.

Still cool. Has Biden gotten anything done at this point?

HR1 gets filibustered in the senate, angering dems and leading to increased anger turnout.

Some minor stuff is accomplished, but with the senate at a 50-50 tie (and with Manchin and Sinema voting with republicans on some bills), little major accomplishments happen.

[Real Texan Politics]

Monday, November 7, 2022.

As a last hoorah for the Abrams campaign (as well as the Raphael Warnock campaign), Abrams and Warnock decide to hold a mega-rally at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the state capital of Georgia. This comes after both of them hold numerous campaign rallies throughout the state, including Abrams visiting every county in the state to increase turnout.

The rally is a massive success, with the 75,000 seat stadium filling up to the max. Besides Abrams and Warnock, notable guest appearances include fellow Georgia democrat senator Jon Ossoff, Abrams' running mate Keisha Lance Bottoms, president Joe Biden, vice president Kamala Harris, John-Miles Lewis (the son of former congressman/civil rights activist John Lewis), as well as notable Atlanta celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry (including as Madea), and Spike Jones, and even some non-Atlanta/Georgia celebrities such as Billie Eilish and John Legend, both of whom perform select songs.

Kemp on the other hand...yea he's not doing so great. Some polls show him losing by double digits to Abrams, though most show him losing by only around 5-10. Doesn't help either that he's very behind in terms of fundraising, and even Donald Trump refuses to endorse him or campaign for him, leaving Kemp with no choice but to fend for himself. Even more depressing is while Abrams is holding her final rally at a major NFL stadium, Kemp's final rally is held at the ballroom of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. At the very least though, his final rally still sold out the venue, though so did Abrams' stadium rally.

Election results will be on the next post.

[Terlylane]

Brian Kemp 50.1
Stacey Abrams 49.7

[Real Texan Politics]

Brian Kemp 50.1
Stacey Abrams 49.7

Hehehehe.......

Nope.

[Real Texan Politics]

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

And here are the results...

Stacey Abrams won, becoming the 84th governor of Georgia! She received 51.1% of the popular vote, while Brian Kemp received 48.2%. Abrams became the first democrat elected as governor of Georgia since Roy Barnes, who was elected in 1998 and served from 1999-2003.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, also became the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, though her race was more competitive. She received 50.1% of the popular vote, while Geoff Duncan, the Lieutenant Governor during the Brian Kemp administration, received 48.8%.

Due to the strength of Herschel Walker's campaign, and with the help of former president Donald Trump campaigning for him every step of the way, the senate race between him and Raphael Warnock will have to go to a runoff scheduled for early January. Warnock did lead over Walker, but only by a plurality. Warnock received 49.8% of the vote, while Walker received 49.6%.

[Real Texan Politics]

Tuesday, January 2, 2023

Today is the day of the runoff election between senator Raphael Warnock (D) vs former college football star Herschel Walker (R). Despite Stacey's gubernatorial victory back in November, she continues to be a star on the campaign trail to elect Warnock for a full 6 year term. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is also a star on the campaign trail to elect Herschel Walker for senate to defeat the incumbent dem senator. Both campaigns capped off on New Years Day with arena rallies, Warnock's at the State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, and Walker's at the Gas South Arena in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth.


And here are the results.....

Raphael Warnock won re-election, being awarded a full 6 year term in addition to the 2 years he's already served! Warnock received 50.5% of the vote, while Walker received 49.5%. While an underperformance for Warnock compared to his 2021 runoff due to the political environment of the nation, Walker did also overperform Kelly Loeffler (which is understandable since he didn't act like a robot candidate and didn't constantly call Warnock a radical liberal).

Warnock was sworn in on January 20, 2023, after the votes were certified the day prior. Meanwhile, Abrams was inaugurated on January 16, 2023.

Stay tuned for Stacey's first day in office.

[President Johnson]

Interesting. I think it's a bit optimstic for Abrams, though she'd have at least a 40% chance to win the election against Kemp.

[Real Texan Politics]

January 16, 2023

Stacey Abrams has been inaugurated as governor of Georgia, the first time for a democrat since 1999, and also becoming the first non-white governor in Georgia's history.

The inauguration ceremony is viewed live online by millions, many of whom from outside of Georgia, and Abrams becomes top trending on twitter (as well as #QueenStacey). #Abrams2028 also trends on twitter, fueling speculation of a potential presidential run for Abrams later on down the line.

As her first order of business, there is legislation to sign. Her very first signature goes to an executive order reversing Brian Kemp's highly controversial voting bills from 2021, fittingly as Abrams is perhaps the most well known voting rights activist in the country. She also signed an EO ordering the removal of all current standing Confederate monuments/memorials, including the memorial on Stone Mountain. Abrams stated before signing the latter into law, "Georgia will never again honor racism, slavery, or domestic terrorism."


Abrams' Approval Rating:

56% approve
41% disapprove

[Real Texan Politics]

February 2023

President Joe Biden has announced that due to declining health and his old age (81 years of age), he will not seek re-election for a second term. Many prominent democrats are speculated online to become Biden's successor, including now-governor Abrams. Abrams responds to the speculation, stating...

"Why would I run for president in 2024 if my work here in Georgia has only just begun? Maybe I'll consider a run someday in the future, but for now, my focus is on the people of Georgia. Therefore, I have zero plans on running for president in 2024 at this time. However, I will gladly endorse whoever the democratic party nominates for president."

While this statement puts a halt at speculation for an Abrams 2024 run, it only fuels more speculation for an Abrams 2028 run.

Days later after her statement, Vice President Kamala Harris announces her bid for 2024. Abrams becomes one of the first major politicians to endorse Harris.

[Real Texan Politics]

So I'm back with the thread, sorry for the wait. I was brainstorming ideas for the thread and where they would fit on the timeline.

The first few months of Abrams' tenure are a little slow, as usual for new politicians. Not much major legislation is signed outside of some renaming bills. Georgia's state legislature is still controlled by republicans, something that (spoiler alert) won't really change all that much for a long time. This means that a lot of Abrams' accomplishments will have to come via executive order, something that she will definitely use quite a bit to her advantage.

Overall though, things seem to go quite smoothly for Abrams. Her approval does take a slight dip following her honeymoon period (doesn't help either with rural voters that she ordered the removal of all confederate statues, monuments, and memorials back in January). Still though, nothing too ridiculous or out of the ordinary comes out of her administration, at least not until......


Thursday, May 25, 2023

Governor Abrams has proclaimed Thursday, May 25, 2023, the third anniversary of the death of George Floyd, as George Floyd Day in the state of Georgia. Abrams proclaimed this day as a day of remembrance to not just Floyd, who died on this day in 2020 at the hands of the Minneapolis Police, but to all other black people killed at the hands of police, such as Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Daunte Wright, and Michael Brown. This day includes numerous festivals, rallies, and protests throughout the state of Georgia, with Abrams attending a march/festival in downtown Atlanta.

Unsurprisingly, this move is met with numerous backlash, even among some progressive twitter democrats, who accuse Abrams of "capitalizing on the death of an innocent Black man." Also unsurprisingly, this becomes the biggest story on conservative media outlets like Fox News, the Daily Wire, and Newsmax, with those outlets accusing Abrams of "glorifying a criminal."

On the flip side though, this move is praised by prominent democrats and activists, including Cori Bush (and the rest of the Squad), Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Martin Luther King III, and the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

(also a disclaimer, this "holiday" would be annual; this is just the first one)

[Real Texan Politics]

Writer's block is a pain, isn't it?

Well, back to the thread:


Thursday, June 1, 2023 (first day of Pride Month)

As the first order of business, Governor Abrams has proclaimed the entire month of June as Pride Month in the state of Georgia, and signed an order raising the rainbow LGBT flag at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.

Usual stuff, eh? Well it gets even better, or even worse, from here....

There was another EO for Abrams to sign, and this one would be all over right wing media when it was all said and done.

Abrams signed an EO that would penalize (and fine) Chick-fil-A for every donation they make to "homophobic organizations." Abrams said in a statement "We welcome Chick-fil-A to do business in the great state of Georgia, where they originate. However, Chick-fil-A's values on LGBTQ+ rights are no longer Georgia's values, and Chick-fil-A will pay the price if they choose to continue to donate to these hateful, homophobic organizations."

Overnight, unsurprisingly, this became the biggest story on Fox News.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Welcome to Georgia's GAY FUTURE.