Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp did not vote for Trump in the primary
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, did not vote for his party’s frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, in the state’s primary election in March.
The governor revealed his decision – counter to that of many GOP voters and lawmakers – in an interview with CNN on the eve of the historic debate between Trump and President Joe Biden.
“I didn’t vote for anybody,” Kemp told CNN Wednesday when asked if he voted for Trump.
Kemp added that he voted in his state’s primary but did not cast a decision for president because, he said, “The race was already over when the primary got here.” Both parties in Georgia held their presidential primary on March 12, a week after several states went to the polls on Super Tuesday and days after Trump’s last-remaining challenger, Nikki Haley, exited the race.
“I always try to go vote and, you know, play a part in it, but look at that point, it didn’t really matter,” Kemp told CNN.
“Bottom of the line, it doesn’t really matter,” he added. “He was the presumptive nominee before the primary ever got here. I mean, I didn’t support anybody in the race. I mean, I was thinking about it but, you know, just because of a lot of circumstances and the way things played out, I didn’t end up doing that.”
Georgia’s governor rose to fame following the 2020 election for rebuking Trump’s pressure to overturn Biden’s win in the Peach State. Kemp has continued to clash with Trump, though he previously told reporters in Atlanta in March that he would support this year’s Republican ticket.
When asked if he would support Trump, CNN reported that Kemp said, “Well, I think he’d be better than Joe Biden, it’s as simple as that.”
Kemp confirmed Wednesday that this means he will vote for Trump in November.
“Right now, I’m focused on turning the ticket out so we can win,” Kemp said. “Regardless of, you know, our history together, I have a vested interest in Georgia remaining in Republican hands.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp did not vote for Donald Trump in GOP primary
