Awaiting Kemp’s Next Moves

No doubt, the presidential race is the big-ticket item, and Georgians once again play a decisive role in who enters the White House. When the Democratic ticket switched from President Biden to Harris, the leads Trump held in most of the swing states shrank. If Harris wins Pennsylvania, Georgia becomes must-win for Trump.

Whoever wins our state, for the safety of our public officials and the sanity of our people, let’s all join together in prayer for an outcome that’s beyond any doubt. None of us wants to relive the tension and agony of the 2020 election dispute that arose from the tightest percentage margin in the country. (That said, unlike in 2020, Gov. Brian Kemp doesn’t have an impending re-election for the best political job in the state, and Georgians can assume that he would take a more pugnacious approach against attacks on our vote count. He’s proven he can take on that fight and win.)

In political circles, gossip about Kemp’s next move remains a favorite parlor game. Kemp has said he won’t announce any plans until after the 2024 election. The clock starts on that Nov. 6. Many take it as a given that Kemp will run against U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). No one doubts that Kemp would give Republicans their best chance to win the seat, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee will camp out on the Governor’s Mansion lawn begging him to enter the race.

I predict Kemp will tell us early in the month that he’s not running for anything in 2026, with platitudes about keeping his “focus on Georgia” and “finishing the job.”

I predict Kemp will tell us early in the month that he’s not running for anything in 2026, with platitudes about keeping his “focus on Georgia” and “finishing the job.”

While outside observers might think transitioning to the U.S. Senate is a lateral move or even a promotion from the state to the federal level, it’s no such thing. Serving as governor of Georgia comes with consequential and stressful decisions, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s a job that comes with actual power. Georgia’s constitution provides for a “strong governor” system, making it one of the most, if not the most, powerful governorships in the country. Governors have sole discretion to appoint thousands to state boards, determine how much the General Assembly can spend in the state budget and veto legislation, including a line-item veto on the budget that many other governors would envy. Though judgeships in Georgia are technically elected positions, it’s now tradition that most judges resign early so the governor can vet and appoint replacements for the bench. That’s often the case for district attorneys, too.

Gov. Brian Kemp. Photo credit: The Office of the Governor.

These powers come with perks. The job includes the best public housing in the state with a mansion on 18 beautiful acres in one of richest neighborhoods in the country. The governor and first lady are ferried around the state in black SUVs driven by their security detail – after eight years they’ll have forgotten the misery of circling through a crowded parking deck looking for a spot. When governors fly out of state for fancy conferences or to foreign countries on economic development trips, they’re dropped off on the tarmac at the Atlanta airport.

Not a bad life.

The transition from Georgia’s governorship to the U.S. Senate means going from singular power to becoming a junior member in a body of 100. A governor implements hundreds of policy decisions a year. In contrast, in 2023, Congress passed 27 bills. There’s no planeside drop-off for the weekly commute to Washington, and instead of having a free mansion to yourself, senators face expensive options for second homes in D.C.

The first lady of the state enjoys a platform to spotlight pet causes. Marty Kemp has championed both animal rescue as well as the fight against human trafficking. There’s no corresponding role for a senator’s spouse. Instead of working together every day, husband and wife would have to decide between near weekly separation or joining in the exhausting back and forth (with the spouse paying out of pocket and then having no formal role to fulfill.)

For almost any other elected official in Georgia, elevation to the U.S. Senate would be the honor of a lifetime, but not for a Georgia governor. I suspect the only Washington job that Kemp would consider is another that comes with free public housing. Americans will hire again for that position in November 2028.