Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was elected the next chair of the Republican Governors Association on Wednesday, assuring that his influence in national GOP politics will grow as he enters the homestretch of his final term in office.
Kemp, who now serves as the organization’s vice chair, succeeds Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee as the RGA chair, and his one-year term begins immediately. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte will serve as the RGA’s vice chair.
“Republican governors are making commonsense, conservative policies a reality, putting families and children first, and making our states the best places to run a business and raise a family,” Kemp said.
The RGA is a powerful organization that pours money and resources into defending vulnerable GOP governors, unseating Democratic incumbents and promoting Republicans in open races.
Only two governor races are on the ballot in 2025 — New Jersey and Virginia — but three dozen states, including Georgia, will elect governors in 2026.
Kemp knows firsthand the power of the RGA’s largesse. The group boosted his 2018 and 2022 campaigns against Democrat Stacey Abrams. But it also backed him in a tough 2022 primary against Republican David Perdue, who was endorsed by Donald Trump.
Those campaigns turned Kemp into a national political figure, as he won a commanding victory after battling both Trump’s MAGA forces and a Democratic star. He’s since reached a tentative truce with Trump and helped the president-elect flip Georgia back to the Republicans in this year’s election.
Even as his national role grows, Kemp faces a pressing question in Georgia: Will he challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026 or stay on the sidelines in the midterm and prepare for a possible run for the White House?
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