Republican Gov. Brian Kemp beat Democrat Stacey Abrams on Nov. 8 for the second time, as Abrams conceded before the clock struck midnight.
“Let me begin by offering congratulations to Gov. Brian Kemp,” Abrams told supporters in Atlanta.
“I am suspending my campaign for governor,” she added later.
Kemp had approximately 53.7 percent of the votes with 90 percent of precincts reporting, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office. Kemp had 1.9 million votes to Abrams’ 1.6 million.
Kemp had not yet delivered a speech or issued a statement after the race was called for him.
Kemp was buoyed by a strong turnout, including an uncharacteristically strong GOP showing in early voting. Historically, many Republicans prefer to wait until Election Day. But this year they contributed to a new record for early voting, as 2.5 million votes were cast by the time it ended on Friday, according to the Raffensperger’s office….