Why the political fight in Georgia is far from over
Hang in there!
Brian Kemp has declared victory, but Stacey Abrams has promised to stay in the race until all votes are counted.
By P.R. Lockhart Nov 8, 2018, 5:20pm EST
Two days after Georgia voters went to the polls to decide the state’s next governor, the results of that election remain uncalled. Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams have fought over the election results since the polls closed Tuesday evening. That fight ramped up on Thursday, with Kemp resigning from his position as secretary of state after declaring victory while Abrams’s legal team announced her campaign is preparing legal action over uncounted votes in some parts of the state.
The back-and-forth began early Wednesday morning when Abrams told supporters that she would not concede the race, calling for all votes to be counted. “There’s voices that are waiting to be heard,” she said. By Wednesday evening, the margin between the candidates had narrowed, with vote counts showing Kemp beating Abrams 50.3 percent to 48.7 percent.
Kemp’s campaign argues that the election results show a “clear path to victory,” and Kemp declared himself the winner on Wednesday, even as the vote count continues. “Based on counts released by the Secretary of State’s office, Brian Kemp’s margin is so large that the number of provisional ballots and overseas ballots will not change his Election Day victory,” Kemp campaign press secretary Cody Hall said in a statement. That evening, the Georgia secretary of state’s office released a statement claiming there were few outstanding provisional ballots.
The Abrams campaign, however, counters that Kemp and the secretary of state’s office have not shown the math on this, telling reporters on Thursday that additional votes are still coming in from some counties. The campaign also says the entire election has been compromised by Kemp serving in dual roles as a political candidate and the state’s top elections official, adding that his recent resignation does not change things.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/8/18076562/georgia-abrams-kemp-midterm-election-lawsuit-votes
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