Four years ago, Gov. Brian Kemp pledged to “put people ahead of divisive politics” as he took his oath office after an exceedingly bitter campaign that ended with some Democrats claiming his narrow victory would always cloud his tenure.
The Republican enters his inauguration Thursday in a dramatically strengthened position.
Now one of his party’s top national figures, he soundly defeated Stacey Abrams in a rematch in November and throttled a Donald Trump-backed challenger in the GOP primary.
He’s the unquestioned head of state Republicans, with enormous political capital to burn, a proven ability to win over swing voters and a successful history of pushing priorities through the Republican-controlled Legislature.
