History of Brian Kemp in Timeline

Brian Kemp is the current governor of Georgia, serving since 2019. A Republican, he previously served as Georgia's Secretary of State from 2010 to 2018 and as a state senator from 2003 to 2007. Notably, he is the first Republican elected governor of Georgia since Reconstruction without a prior affiliation to the Democratic Party.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1950: First Gubernatorial Rematch Since 1950

The election featuring Abrams as the Democratic nominee was Georgia's first gubernatorial rematch since 1950.

November 2, 1963: Brian Kemp's Birth

On November 2, 1963, Brian Porter Kemp was born. He would later become the 83rd governor of Georgia.

Others born on this day/year

1983: Graduated High School

In 1983, Brian Kemp graduated from Clarke Central High School after attending Athens Academy until ninth grade.

1992: Georgia votes for Democratic nominee

In 1992, it was the first time since then that Georgia voted for the Democratic nominee for president, until Joe Biden defeated Trump.

January 8, 1994: Marriage to Marty Argo

On January 8, 1994, Brian Kemp married Marty Argo, the daughter of Bob Argo, a longtime member of the Georgia House of Representatives.

2002: Elected to Georgia State Senate

In 2002, Brian Kemp was elected to the Georgia State Senate.

2003: Elected as Georgia State Senator

Brian Kemp served as a Georgia State Senator starting in 2003, after winning against the Democratic incumbent Doug Haines.

2006: Lost runoff for Agriculture Commissioner

In 2006, Brian Kemp ran for Agriculture Commissioner of Georgia, finishing second in the primary but losing the runoff to Gary Black.

2006: Lost Republican Primary

In 2006, Brian Kemp ran for commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture but lost the Republican primary.

2007: End of term as Georgia State Senator

Brian Kemp finished serving as Georgia State Senator in 2007.

2010: "Exact Match" Policy Introduced

In 2010, Brian Kemp introduced a controversial "exact match" policy as secretary of state, which dropped eligible Georgians from voter rolls for minor discrepancies between their voter registration card and state records.

2010: Appointed and Elected Secretary of State

In 2010, Brian Kemp was appointed Georgia Secretary of State by Governor Sonny Perdue and subsequently won the election for a full term.

2012: Aggressive Voter Roll Purges

From 2012, Georgia began removing registered voters from voter rolls for not voting in consecutive elections more aggressively than any other state.

2012: Changes to Voting Rights Act and Polling Location Closures

In 2012, changes to the Voting Rights Act gave states with a history of voter suppression more autonomy. Following this change, Brian Kemp's office oversaw the closing of 214 polling locations in Georgia, which was 8% of the total number of polling locations in the state. These closures disproportionately affected African-American communities.

2014: Reelected as Secretary of State

Brian Kemp was reelected as Secretary of State in 2014.

July 2015: Start of voter roll analysis

In July 2015, the period began where African-American, Asian, and Latino voters accounted for 76.3% of the registrations dropped from voter rolls

October 2015: Data Breach

In October 2015, under Brian Kemp's leadership, the Georgia Secretary of State's office illegally disclosed the personal information of 6.2 million registered Georgia voters in a data breach.

2015: Criticism after data breach

In 2015, Brian Kemp faced criticism after a data breach exposed over six million voters' personal information to 12 organizations.

August 2016: Response to Russian Interference

In August 2016, amid Russian attempts to disrupt the 2016 elections, Brian Kemp stated that an intrusion by Russian hackers into voting systems was "not probable at all, the way our systems are set up" and accused federal officials of exaggerating the threat of Russian interference.

December 2016: Accusation against DHS

In December 2016, Brian Kemp accused the Department of Homeland Security of attempting to hack his office's computer network, including the voter registration database.

2016: Purged Voter Registrations

Between 2016 and 2017, approximately 534,000 Georgians had their voter registrations purged. An investigative journalism group found that over 334,000 of them still lived where they were registered and were given no notice of the purge.

2016: Rejected Homeland Security Assistance

During the 2016 election, Brian Kemp was the only state official to decline help from the Department of Homeland Security to protect against Russian interference.

2016: Rejects Russian Interference Conclusion

In 2016, Brian Kemp rejected the United States Intelligence Community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the election.

2016: Electronic Voting Machines Vulnerabilities

In 2016, Georgia was identified as one of 14 states that used electronic voting machines without paper records, a factor considered to make elections vulnerable to tampering.

2016: "Exact Match" Halted After Lawsuit

In 2016, The "exact match" policy was halted after a lawsuit.

July 2017: End of voter roll analysis

In July 2017, the period ended where African-American, Asian, and Latino voters accounted for 76.3% of the registrations dropped from voter rolls

July 2017: Mass Voter Registration Cancellations

In July 2017, under Brian Kemp's oversight as secretary of state, half a million voters in Georgia, which was approximately 8% of all registered voters in the state, had their registrations canceled in a single night. This action was described by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as potentially "the largest mass disenfranchisement in US history." Kemp oversaw these removals eight months after declaring his candidacy for governor.

2017: Palast Lawsuit over Voter Purges

In 2016 and 2017, Greg Palast sued Brian Kemp, claiming that over 300,000 voters were purged illegally. Kemp's office denied any wrongdoing, stating that updating the voter rolls prevented fraud and ensured that only eligible Georgia voters cast ballots.

2017: Purged voters from voter rolls

In 2017, Brian Kemp purged 668,000 inactive voters from voter rolls.

2017: Security Flaw Exposure

In 2017, a security flaw in the state voting system, under Brian Kemp's oversight, exposed personal information of over six million Georgia voters. The flaw was fixed six months after being reported, but a server central to the issue was wiped after a lawsuit was filed.

2017: Modified "Exact Match" Policy Passed

In 2017, the state legislature passed a modified form of the "exact match" policy and the process began again.

2017: Denounced Obama administration's efforts

In a 2017 interview, Brian Kemp denounced the Obama administration's efforts to strengthen election system security amid Russian interference as an assault on states' rights.

May 2018: Lawsuit over business loans

In May 2018, Brian Kemp faced a lawsuit for allegedly failing to repay $500,000 in business loans related to his personal guarantee of $10 million in loans to Hart AgStrong. The company was under investigation for potential felonies, but Kemp reached a settlement before becoming governor.

May 22, 2018: Republican Primary Election

On May 22, 2018, the primary elections were held, with Brian Kemp participating as a Republican candidate.

July 24, 2018: Republican Primary Runoff

On July 24, 2018, a primary runoff was held between Republican candidates Brian Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, with Kemp prevailing.

September 5, 2018: Attack Ad Release

On September 5, 2018, an attack ad claimed Brian Kemp did not pursue accusations of sexual assault against Massage Envy therapists due to campaign donations from franchisee owners, raising concerns about a quid pro quo scheme.

October 2018: Report on "insider loans"

In October 2018, WAGA-TV reported that companies owned by Brian Kemp owed over $800,000 in loans to a community bank where he was a founding board member and stockholder. These "insider loans" were legal if they were on the same terms as any other borrower, but Kemp's campaign declined to disclose the loan terms.

October 2018: Voter Registration Applications Put on Hold

In early October 2018, Brian Kemp's office had placed more than 53,000 voter registration applications on hold, with over 75% of them belonging to minorities. These voters were eligible to re-register if they still lived in Georgia and had not died.

November 4, 2018: Zero-Day Flaw Announcement

On November 4, 2018, which was 48 hours before his gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp's office, as secretary of state, published details of a zero-day flaw in the state registration website. His office accused Democrats of attempted hacking for investigating the problem but provided no evidence. Critics suggested this was voter suppression and created an opportunity for hackers. Kemp defended his actions by saying, "I'm not worried about how it looks. I'm doing my job."

December 4, 2018: Call for Kemp to Testify Before Congress

On December 4, 2018, U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings announced that he would like to call Brian Kemp before Congress to testify about the fairness of his actions during the 2018 elections, particularly regarding his role as secretary of state while running for governor.

December 2018: Criticism and Investigation of Hacking Allegations

In December 2018, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Brian Kemp made hacking allegations without any evidence. The publication suggested that Kemp and his aides used his elected office to protect his political campaign from embarrassment and that these unsubstantiated claims came at a pivotal moment in the election.

2018: Resigned as Secretary of State

After narrowly winning the 2018 gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp resigned as secretary of state to prepare for becoming governor.

2018: Controversies Surrounding Gubernatorial Victory

As a result of controversies surrounding the 2018 Georgia midterms, critics have called Kemp's gubernatorial victory illegitimate.

2018: Voter Registration Cancellations

Between 2012 and 2018, Brian Kemp's office canceled over 1.4 million voters' registrations, with nearly 700,000 cancellations occurring in 2017 alone.

2018: Gubernatorial Election

Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams in the general election of the 2018 gubernatorial race.

2018: Accusations of Voter Suppression

During the 2018 gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp faced accusations of voter suppression, particularly regarding the holding of voter registration applications and purging of inactive voters.

2018: Opposition to Automatic Voter Registration

In 2018, Brian Kemp expressed his opposition to automatic voter registration. In a leaked recording, he stated that attempts to register all eligible voters "continues to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote." In another recording, he noted that Democrats were working to register minority voters and others, which he believed could help them win elections.

2018: Gubernatorial Election and Controversy

In 2018, Brian Kemp ran for governor. He faced accusations of abuse of power and voter suppression during the election against Stacey Abrams. He narrowly won and then resigned as secretary of state.

2018: Trump supports Kemp's campaign

In 2018, Donald Trump supported Brian Kemp's gubernatorial campaign, a decision Trump would later regret, expressing his disappointment in Kemp's actions after the 2020 election.

2018: Polling Location Closures and ACLU Challenge

In 2018, a consultant recommended closing seven of the nine county polling locations in majority-minority Randolph County due to non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the plan, and the locations were allowed to remain open. Despite Kemp's denial of knowledge, evidence suggested his office supported the closures as a cost-saving measure.

2018: Voting Machine Sequestration

In 2018, following a court ruling, local election officials sequestered thousands of voting machines on Election Day, leading to increased wait times at polling locations. These actions disproportionately affected counties favoring Kemp's opponent, causing voters in some locations to wait in line for hours in inclement weather. Some locations also experienced delays due to machines being delivered without power cords. Kemp himself faced technical issues when attempting to vote in the election.

2018: Kemp's opponent Stacey Abrams

In September 2021, at a rally in Perry, Georgia, Donald Trump implied that he would prefer Brian Kemp's 2018 Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams, to replace him as governor.

2018: "Severe burden" on voters

In a 2018 ruling against Brian Kemp, District Judge Eleanor L. Ross said the system places a "severe burden" on voters.

2018: Russian Hackers Targeted County Websites

The 2018 indictment against Russian hackers indicated they targeted county websites in Georgia.

January 14, 2019: Inauguration as Governor

Brian Kemp was inaugurated as governor in a public ceremony in Atlanta on January 14, 2019.

March 6, 2019: House Investigation into Voter Suppression

On March 6, 2019, it was revealed that Brian Kemp and his successor as secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, were under investigation by the House Oversight and Reform Committee for alleged voter suppression in the 2018 elections, overseen by Elijah Cummings. Kemp was given until March 20, 2019, to comply with document requests or face a subpoena.

March 20, 2019: Deadline for Document Compliance

In March 2019, Brian Kemp was given until March 20, 2019, to comply with document requests from the House Oversight and Reform Committee regarding alleged voter suppression in the 2018 elections or face a subpoena.

April 2019: Signing of Legislation Addressing Election Criticisms

In April 2019, Brian Kemp signed legislation into law addressing some criticisms that arose from the contested 2018 election. The new law prevents polling places from being changed within 60 days before an election, prohibits county election officials from rejecting absentee ballots due to mismatched signatures, and ensures that voters whose registration application information does not match other government databases will not be removed from voter rolls for this reason.

April 2019: Job Approval Rating

In an April 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) poll, Brian Kemp had a 46 percent job approval rating among Georgians.

May 2019: Signing of Abortion Ban Bill

In May 2019, Brian Kemp signed into law a highly controversial bill that would prohibit abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, typically around six weeks of pregnancy. This legislation was one of the country's strictest anti-abortion laws.

September 2019: Announcement of Rural 'Strike Team'

In September 2019, Brian Kemp visited Swainsboro to announce the creation of a rural "strike team" focusing on economic development in rural areas of the state.

October 2019: Federal Court Blocks Abortion Ban

In October 2019, a preliminary injunction was entered by federal courts, blocking Brian Kemp's anti-abortion legislation from going into effect, ruling it unconstitutional.

2019: Became Georgia Governor

In 2019, Brian Kemp became the 83rd governor of Georgia.

December 31, 2019: Appointment of Kelly Loeffler to U.S. Senate

After Johnny Isakson announced his resignation from the U.S. Senate on December 31, 2019, Brian Kemp appointed businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to complete Isakson's term.

January 6, 2020: Loeffler Sworn into Office

On January 6, 2020, Kelly Loeffler was sworn into office to complete Isakson's term in the U.S. Senate; she was appointed by Brian Kemp.

April 1, 2020: Statewide Stay-at-Home Order Issued

On April 1, 2020, Brian Kemp announced a statewide stay-at-home order in Georgia to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp was among the last governors to issue such an order, despite a national emergency being declared three weeks earlier on March 13.

May 2020: Decline in Job Approval Rating

A May 2020 Ipsos poll showed that Brian Kemp's job approval rating had declined to 39 percent among Georgians, making him among the nation's least popular governors. This decline was attributed to his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

July 2020: Prohibition of Local Mask Mandates

In July 2020, Brian Kemp prohibited Georgia cities and counties from requiring face masks to halt the spread of the coronavirus, even as cases were surging and other states were implementing statewide mask mandates. By mid-July, over 127,000 COVID-19 cases had been reported in Georgia, with 3,000 deaths.

July 2020: Permanent Injunction Against Abortion Ban

In July 2020, a permanent injunction was entered, permanently voiding the anti-abortion law signed by Brian Kemp. The federal courts ruled it unconstitutional.

November 2020: Cancellation of Supreme Court Election

In November 2020, Brian Kemp canceled the scheduled election to the Supreme Court of Georgia after Judge Keith R. Blackwell announced his retirement between the election and the end of his term.

November 2020: Trump criticizes Kemp

In November 2020, Donald Trump publicly stated in a Fox News interview that he was "ashamed" for having backed Brian Kemp's 2018 gubernatorial campaign. He also criticized Kemp's lack of action regarding the 2020 election results in Georgia.

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November 2020: Further Decline in Approval Rating

In November 2020, an IAG/Fox 5 poll showed that Brian Kemp's approval rating fell to 37 percent.

December 2020: Calls for Kemp's resignation and imprisonment

In December 2020, Donald Trump called for Brian Kemp to resign from his position. Separately, attorney Lin Wood urged for the imprisonment of both Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

2020: Criticism from Donald Trump

After the 2020 presidential election, Brian Kemp faced criticism from President Donald Trump for certifying the results, as required by state law, despite Trump's false claims of fraud.

2020: Refusal to Overturn 2020 Election Results

In 2020, Brian Kemp refused to overturn the results of the presidential election in Georgia, leading to a primary challenge from David Perdue, who was endorsed by Donald Trump.

January 2021: Trump criticizes Kemp for certifying Georgia's results

In January 2021, Donald Trump criticized Brian Kemp for certifying the election results in Georgia. This criticism led to speculation about Kemp facing a primary challenger supported by Trump in 2022.

January 2021: Approval rating rebounds

In January 2021, an AJC poll indicated that Brian Kemp's approval rating had recovered to 43 percent.

March 2021: Opposition to COVID-19 Relief Bill

In March 2021, Brian Kemp expressed his opposition to a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress.

March 2021: Signing of SB 202

In March 2021, Brian Kemp signed SB 202 into law, which expanded early in-person voting, enacted ID requirements for absentee voting, gave the legislature power to overrule or replace local election officials, and banned anyone other than election workers from providing food or water to voters waiting in line.

March 2021: Kemp supports Trump for 2024

In March 2021, Brian Kemp stated that he would support Donald Trump if he decided to run for president again in 2024.

September 2021: Trump suggests Abrams should replace Kemp

In September 2021, at a rally in Perry, Georgia, Donald Trump implied that he would prefer Brian Kemp's 2018 Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams, to replace him as governor.

December 2021: Perdue announces candidacy with Trump's endorsement

In December 2021, David Perdue announced his candidacy for governor and received endorsement from Donald Trump.

2021: Signed Election Integrity Act

In 2021, Brian Kemp signed into law the Election Integrity Act of 2021. It expanded early in-person voting and increased state government's control over local election officials.

April 2022: Approval rating reaches 50 percent

In April 2022, according to a Morning Consult poll, Brian Kemp's approval rating hit 50 percent.

May 2022: Kemp gains support from Mike Pence

In May 2022, Brian Kemp announced that he had received the support of former Vice President Mike Pence.

October 2022: Approval rating at 54 percent

In October 2022, leading up to the gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp's approval rating was at 54 percent among Georgians.

2022: Overturning of Injunction with Dobbs v. Jackson Decision

In 2022, the injunction against the anti-abortion law was later overturned following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

2022: Speculation of Trump-backed primary challenger

In 2022, there was speculation that Brian Kemp would face a primary challenger supported by Donald Trump, following Trump's criticism of Kemp in January 2021 for certifying Georgia's election results.

2022: Reelection Campaign and Victory

In his 2022 reelection campaign, Brian Kemp defeated David Perdue in the Republican primary despite Trump's endorsement of Perdue. He then defeated Stacey Abrams in the general election by a wider margin than in 2018.

January 9, 2023: Second Term Inauguration

Brian Kemp was inaugurated for his second term as governor on January 9, 2023.

January 12, 2023: Second Term Swearing-In

Brian Kemp was sworn in for his second term as governor on January 12, 2023, after winning reelection and defeating Stacey Abrams. Abrams conceded on election night.

2023: Approval rating surges to 62 percent

In 2023, as he began his second term, Brian Kemp's approval rating climbed to 62 percent based on an AJC poll.

March 2024: Kemp endorses Trump's 2024 campaign

In March 2024, Brian Kemp endorsed Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

May 2024: Signing of Three Election Bills

In May 2024, Brian Kemp signed three election bills into law.

2024: Deaths Due to Abortion Law Exceptions

By 2024, at least two women had died in Georgia after they were unable to access legal abortions and timely medical care due to the vague and conflicting exceptions in the abortion ban, which ostensibly protected the life of the mother but in practice deterred physicians from providing abortions even when the mother's life was at imminent risk.

2024: Kemp opposes United Auto Workers unionization

In 2024, Brian Kemp joined five other Republican governors in a statement opposing the United Auto Workers unionization campaign.

2024: Kemp and Trump campaign separately

In 2024, apart from an event focused on the damage from Hurricane Helene, Brian Kemp and Donald Trump did not appear or campaign together in the US elections.