It’s been speculated that Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be a GOP contender for Governor in 2018. Today, the AJC reports that an official with direct knowledge of the matter says that Secretary Kemp will run.
Although it’s not “official” yet and has declined to comment on it, Secretary Kemp has been dropping hints and his on-going battle against the federal Department of Justice regarding hacking claims against the Georgia Secretary of State’s office under the Obama administration has kept Kemp’s name in front of the eyeballs of potential voters. From the AJC:
“I am uniquely positioned to understand the challenges you face when it comes to running your business and, most importantly, having to deal with government red tape,” he said in recent remarks to the National Federation of Independent Businesses. “There are too few business-minded people in office, and you can see how that impacts our government.”
…
The 53-year-old has long been considered a potential gubernatorial candidate and has tried to raise his profile by calling on Trump to investigate the Obama administration’s apparent attempt to access his office’s computer system. He’s also railed against left-leaning groups that accused his office of voter suppression.
The 2018 GOP gubernatorial field will be crowded with speculation that Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, Speaker David Ralston, former Congressmen Jack Kingston, Lynn Westmoreland, current Congressmen Doug Collins and Tom Graves may jump into the fray. With the legislative session drawing to a close fairly soon, expect other announcements to drop.