Full History Of Brian Kemp In Timeline From 1950

1950: First Gubernatorial Rematch Since

In 2022, Stacey Abrams was once again the Democratic nominee. This 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

1966: Closest Georgia Gubernatorial Race Since

In 2018, Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams in the gubernatorial election by 54,723 votes (50.2–48.8%). The 2018 gubernatorial election was the closest governor's race in Georgia since 1966.

1983: Graduation from Clarke Central High School

In 1983, Brian Kemp graduated from Clarke Central High School, where he played football.

1992: Georgia voted for the Democratic nominee for president

In 1992 Georgia voted for the Democratic nominee for president for the first time since then.

January 8, 1994: Kemp married Marty Argo

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

2002: Elected to Georgia State Senate

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

2003: Elected as Georgia State Senator

In 2003, Brian Kemp was elected as a Georgia State Senator, defeating the Democratic incumbent Doug Haines.

2006: Failed Run 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 for Agriculture Commissioner

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

2007: End of Term as Georgia State Senator

In 2007, Brian Kemp's service as a Georgia State Senator ended.

2010: Appointed Secretary of State

In 2010, Brian Kemp was appointed Secretary of State by Governor Sonny Perdue.

2010: Introduction of "Exact Match" Policy

In 2010, during his first year as secretary of state, Brian Kemp introduced the controversial "exact match" policy for voter registration.

2012: Voter Registration Cancellations

Between 2012 and 2018, Brian Kemp's office canceled over 1.4 million voters' registrations in Georgia, with nearly 700,000 cancellations in 2017 alone, more aggressively than any other state.

2012: Changes to the 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. As a result, Brian Kemp's office oversaw the closing of 214 polling locations in Georgia, disproportionately affecting African-American communities.

2014: Re-elected as Secretary of State

In 2014, Brian Kemp was re-elected as Secretary of State of Georgia.

July 2015: Start of Voter Roll Drops

From July 2015, critics noted that registration drops disproportionately affected minorities, with African-American, Asian, and Latino voters accounting for 76.3% of registrations dropped.

October 2015: Data Breach of Voter Information

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

2015: Criticism after Data Breach

In 2015, Brian Kemp faced criticism following a data breach that exposed the personal information of over six million voters to 12 organizations.

August 2016: Downplayed Russian Interference Threat

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

December 2016: Accusation of Hacking Attempt by 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: Voter Purge Investigation by Greg Palast

An investigative journalism group run by Greg Palast found that, of the approximately 534,000 Georgians whose voter registrations were purged between 2016 and 2017, more than 334,000 still lived where they were registered. The voters were given no notice that they had been purged.

2016: Rejection of Federal Help for Election Security

During the 2016 election, Brian Kemp rejected assistance from the Department of Homeland Security to safeguard against Russian interference, standing as the sole state official to do so.

2016: Rejects Conclusion on Russian Interference

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

2016: Use of Electronic Voting Machines

In 2016, Georgia was one of 14 states using electronic voting machines without a paper record, which election integrity experts stated left elections vulnerable to tampering and technical problems.

2016: Lawsuit Halts "Exact Match" Policy

In 2016, a lawsuit led to the halting of the "exact match" policy that was introduced earlier by Brian Kemp.

July 2017: End of Voter Roll Drops

By July 2017, critics noted that registration drops disproportionately affected minorities, with African-American, Asian, and Latino voters accounting for 76.3% of registrations dropped.

July 2017: Mass Voter Registration Cancellations

In July 2017, under Brian Kemp's oversight as secretary of state, half a million voters in Georgia, about 8% of all registered voters, 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."

2017: Voter Purge Investigation by Greg Palast

An investigative journalism group run by Greg Palast found that, of the approximately 534,000 Georgians whose voter registrations were purged between 2016 and 2017, more than 334,000 still lived where they were registered. The voters were given no notice that they had been purged.

2017: Purge of Inactive Voters

In 2017, as part of his tenure as Secretary of State, Brian Kemp purged 668,000 inactive voters from voter rolls, contributing to later accusations of voter suppression.

2017: Security Flaw Exposing Voter Information

In 2017, it was revealed that a flaw in the state voting system exposed the personal information of over six million Georgia voters, leading to further criticism for Brian Kemp.

2017: Modified "Exact Match" Policy Reinstated

In 2017, the state legislature passed a modified form of the "exact match" policy, and the process began again after the initial policy was halted in 2016.

2017: Denounced Federal Election Security Efforts

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

May 2018: Sued for failure to repay business loans

In May 2018, Brian Kemp was sued for failure to repay $500,000 in business loans related to his guarantee of loans to Hart AgStrong. A settlement was reached shortly before he became governor.

May 22, 2018: Republican Primary Election

On May 22, 2018, Brian Kemp participated in the Republican primary election for governor of Georgia.

July 24, 2018: Primary Runoff Election Victory

On July 24, 2018, Brian Kemp won the Republican primary runoff election against Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, securing his nomination for governor. Stacey Abrams won the Democratic primary with over 75% of the vote, allowing her to avoid a runoff.

September 5, 2018: Attack Ad Regarding Massage Envy

On September 5, 2018, an attack ad claimed that Brian Kemp did not pursue accusations of sexual assault against therapists employed by Massage Envy due to campaign donations from franchisee owners.

October 2018: Report on loans to community bank

In October 2018, WAGA-TV reported that companies Brian Kemp owned owed more than $800,000 in loans to a community bank where he was a founding board member and stockholder.

October 2018: Voter Registration Applications Put on Hold

In early October 2018, Brian Kemp's office had put more than 53,000 voter registration applications on hold, with over 75% belonging to minorities. The voters are eligible to re-register if they still live in Georgia and have not died.

November 4, 2018: Allegations of Attempted Hacking

On November 4, 2018, 48 hours before the gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp's office published details of a zero-day flaw in the state registration website. Kemp accused Democrats of attempted hacking for investigating the problem but provided no evidence, leading to criticism and accusations of voter suppression.

December 4, 2018: Congressional Inquiry Announced

On December 4, 2018, U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, announced that he wanted to call Brian Kemp before Congress to testify about the fairness of his actions during the 2018 elections.

December 2018: Unsubstantiated Hacking Allegations

In December 2018, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that Brian Kemp made hacking allegations without any evidence and might have used the unsubstantiated accusations against Democrats as a ploy to help him win the election.

2018: Resigned as Secretary of State

After narrowly winning the 2018 gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp resigned as secretary of state in anticipation of becoming governor.

2018: Controversies Surrounding the 2018 Georgia Midterms

As a result of the controversies surrounding the 2018 Georgia midterms, critics have called Kemp's gubernatorial victory illegitimate. However, political scientists and news outlets have largely rejected these claims.

2018: Voter Registration Cancellations Continue

Between 2012 and 2018, Brian Kemp's office canceled over 1.4 million voters' registrations in Georgia, with nearly 700,000 cancellations in 2017 alone. Kemp oversaw the removals as secretary of state, and did so eight months after declaring his candidacy for governor.

2018: Trump supported Kemp's gubernatorial campaign

Donald Trump supported Brian Kemp's gubernatorial campaign in 2018, a decision he later regretted.

2018: Accusations of Voter Suppression

During the 2018 gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp faced accusations of voter suppression based on actions taken as Secretary of State.

2018: Gubernatorial Election Victory

In 2018, Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams in the gubernatorial election by 54,723 votes (50.2–48.8%). The 2018 gubernatorial election was the closest governor's race in Georgia since 1966.

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."

2018: Initial Election Against Abrams

In 2018, Brian Kemp initially ran against Stacey Abrams.

2018: District Judge Rules Against Kemp

In 2018, District Judge Eleanor L. Ross ruled against Brian Kemp, stating that the "exact match" system places a "severe burden" on voters.

2018: Randolph County Polling Location Closures Controversy

In 2018, a consultant recommended the closure of seven out of nine county polling locations in majority-minority Randolph County due to non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. After a challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union, the locations remained open. Kemp denied knowledge of the plan.

2018: Voting Machine Issues on Election Day

In 2018, after a court ruling, thousands of voting machines were sequestered by local election officials on Election Day, leading to increased wait times at polling locations. This disproportionately affected counties that favored Kemp's opponent. Some locations experienced delays due to machines being delivered without power cords, and Kemp himself faced technical problems while attempting to vote.

2018: Indictment Against Russian Hackers

In 2018, the indictment against Russian hackers as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into 2016 interference, stated that the Russian hackers targeted county websites in Georgia.

2018: Election Law Changes

In April 2019, Brian Kemp signed legislation into law addressing some criticisms that arose from the contested 2018 election. The new law provides that polling places cannot be changed 60 days before an election, that county election officials cannot reject absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures, and that a voter whose voter registration application information does not match other government databases will not be removed from the voter rolls for this reason.

2018: Kemp's 2018 Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams

In September 2021, Trump stated that Stacey Abrams, Kemp's 2018 Democratic opponent, could replace him.

2018: House Investigation

On March 6, 2019, it was revealed that both 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.

January 14, 2019: Inauguration as Governor

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

March 6, 2019: House Investigation

On March 6, 2019, it was revealed that both 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.

March 20, 2019: Deadline to Comply with Document Requests

On March 6, 2019, it was revealed that both 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. Brian Kemp was given until March 20, 2019, to comply with document requests or face a subpoena.

April 2019: Election Law Changes

In April 2019, Brian Kemp signed legislation into law addressing some criticisms that arose from the contested 2018 election. The new law provides that polling places cannot be changed 60 days before an election, that county election officials cannot reject absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures, and that a voter whose voter registration application information does not match other government databases will not be removed from the voter rolls for this reason.

April 2019: Job Approval Rating Poll

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

May 2019: Passage of Abortion Bill

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

September 2019: Creation 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: Preliminary Injunction Against Abortion Bill

In October 2019, a preliminary injunction blocked the May 2019 abortion bill from going into effect, due to rulings by federal courts that it was unconstitutional.

2019: Becomes Governor of Georgia

In 2019, Brian Kemp assumed office as the 83rd Governor of Georgia.

December 31, 2019: Appointment of Kelly Loeffler

After Johnny Isakson announced that he would resign 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

After Johnny Isakson announced that he would resign from the U.S. Senate on December 31, 2019, Brian Kemp appointed businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to complete Isakson's term. Loeffler was sworn into office on January 6, 2020, but lost the seat to Democrat Raphael Warnock in the special election held for it.

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

On April 1, 2020, Brian Kemp announced a statewide stay-at-home order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. He was among the last governors to issue such an order, and he stated he had only become aware that day that the coronavirus could be spread by asymptomatic people.

May 2020: Job Approval Rating Decline

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, attributed to his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

July 2020: Prohibition of Mask Mandates

In July 2020, Brian Kemp prohibited Georgia cities and counties from requiring face masks to halt the spread of COVID-19, even as coronavirus cases were surging and other states were implementing statewide mask mandates.

July 2020: Permanent Injunction Against Abortion Bill

In July 2020, a permanent injunction was entered that permanently voided the May 2019 abortion law. This injunction was later overturned with the 2022 Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

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 scheduled election and the end of his term.

November 2020: Job Approval Rating Decline

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

November 2020: Trump expressed being "ashamed" of supporting Kemp

In November 2020, in a Fox News interview, Donald Trump said he was "ashamed" of having supported Brian Kemp's 2018 gubernatorial campaign and criticized his handling of the 2020 election results.

December 2020: Trump called for Kemp's resignation

In December 2020, Donald Trump called for Brian Kemp's resignation. Also that month, attorney Lin Wood called for the imprisonment of both Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

2020: Refusal to Overturn Election Results

During the primary election, Kemp was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence. He faced a primary challenge from former U.S. Senator David Perdue, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump after Kemp refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

2020: Criticism from Donald Trump

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

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

In January 2021, Donald Trump criticized Brian Kemp for certifying Georgia's results, leading to speculation about a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022.

January 2021: Approval rating rebounded to 43 percent

In January 2021, an AJC poll showed Brian Kemp's approval rating had rebounded to 43 percent.

March 2021: Opposition to COVID-19 Relief Bill

In March 2021, Brian Kemp expressed 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, 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 would support Trump if he ran for president again in 2024

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

September 2021: Trump implied Stacey Abrams would replace Kemp

In September 2021, at a rally in Perry, Georgia, Donald Trump implied he would prefer Stacey Abrams to replace Brian Kemp as governor.

December 2021: David Perdue announced candidacy for governor with Trump's endorsement

In December 2021, David Perdue announced his candidacy for governor, with Donald Trump's endorsement.

2021: Signed Election Integrity Act of 2021

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

April 2022: Approval rating reached 50 percent

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

May 2022: Kemp announced support of former Vice President Mike Pence

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

October 2022: Approval rating stood at 54 percent

In October 2022, one month before the 2022 gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp's approval rating among Georgians stood at 54 percent.

2022: Reelection Campaign and Victory

In 2022, Brian Kemp won the Republican primary against David Perdue and defeated Stacey Abrams in the general election by a wider margin than in 2018.

2022: Speculation of Trump-backed primary challenger

In 2022, there was speculation that Brian Kemp would face a Trump-backed primary challenger, due to Trump's criticism in January 2021.

2022: Permanent Injunction Against Abortion Bill

The injunction was later overturned with the 2022 Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

January 9, 2023: Inauguration for Second Term

On January 9, 2023, Brian Kemp was inaugurated for his second term as governor of Georgia.

January 12, 2023: Sworn in for Second Term

On January 12, 2023, Brian Kemp was sworn in for a second term as governor of Georgia after winning reelection, defeating Stacey Abrams by 7.5%. Abrams conceded on election night.

2023: Approval rating surged to 62 percent

At the beginning of his second term in 2023, Brian Kemp's approval rating surged to 62 percent, according to an AJC poll.

March 2024: Kemp endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential campaign

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

May 2024: Signing of Election Bills

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

2024: Maternal Deaths Due to Abortion Restrictions

By 2024, at least two women had died in Georgia after they were unable to access legal abortions and timely medical care, attributed to the vague and conflicting exceptions in the abortion ban.

2024: Limited joint appearances with Trump during elections

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.