2018 Georgia Governor's Race GOP Primary preview: Kemp vs Cagle

[fourthwarden]

Not that'll have any say in the matter, but it's worth remembering that Kemp was the one who oversaw things during that massive voter information leak.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Not that'll have any say in the matter, but it's worth remembering that Kemp was the one who oversaw things during that massive voter information leak.

That is an excellent point about an issue that is certain to come up at some time during the campaign.

The thing though, is that with the type of campaign that Brian Kemp will be running (a populist campaign with white nationalist themes that will be targeted at generating a maximum amount of turnout by the types of deeply-conservative rural white voters that propelled Trump to victory last fall), he potentially may be able to overcome any type of major liabilities that he may have in either the GOP primary and/or the general election....Not unlike Donald Trump who was able to overcome the major liabilities he had by running a uniquely populist campaign with white nationalist themes aimed at downscale rural and exurban white voters in both the GOP primary and in the general election against an almost as equally disliked and unpopular opponent (Hillary Clinton).

Secretary Kemp is also extremely popular with the GOP's base of conservative voters (along with conservative Republican-leaning independents) because he lead the way in helping to create the "SEC Primary" that gave Georgia (along with the Atlanta media market) much more influence in the presidential preference primary process by putting the state in a Super Tuesday-type primary along with a major voting bloc of about 7 or 8 other Southeastern states.

Even with the massive voter information leak on his watch, Kemp possibly may be much more difficult to beat because of the theme of his campaign, his creation of the "SEC Primary" and his popularity with the conservative voters that currently play a dominant role in Georgia's electoral process and political scene.

Even with his apparent liabilities, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp will likely still be one of the frontrunners in the 2018 Georgia GOP Gubernatorial Primary and will have a legitimate shot at winning the governor's race overall.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by atltechdude

Looks like I'll be voting for Cagle then.

Since Georgia has open primaries I think it behooves some liberals to vote R in the primaries to try and moderate the candidate that we end up with (who will obviously win the general).

Originally Posted by Pemgin

I really don't want to vote for Cagle but will in the primary if our other choice is some Trump wannabe.

What kind of strategy is that, anyway? It's likely that Trump will be incredibly unpopular by 2018, considering that his administration keeps shambling from one failure to the next. It's like trying to emulate George W. Bush in 2008.

Originally Posted by primaltech

Given our options here, I hope Cagle wins, and ends up at least as moderate as Deal, with a MARTA overhaul/ funding/ expansion/ whatever, and no "religious freedom" BS or anything even remotely like that. Nothing that makes national news.

Then after his one or two terms, I hope the demographics have shifted enough by that point that either a Democrat wins, or a very moderate Republican. And I hope somebody does the damn Medicaid expansion which the citizens overwhelmingly want.

Compared to our shameful past, Georgia hopefully should have a bright future.

Originally Posted by tikigod311

If Cagle runs as Deal 2.0 I think he will be successful. I hope we have more to choose from

Along with his close relationships with and financial backing of the Northside metro Atlanta, metro Atlanta, North Georgia and Georgia business communities, and his three terms accumulating power and building critically-important statewide relationships in the Lt. governor's office, another one of the major reasons that Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle is the presumed frontrunner heading into the 2018 Georgia Governor's Race is because of his appeal and good relationships with Democrats, including black Democrats.

Cagle is one of the 2018 GOP gubernatorial contenders (along with other state political figures like Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia state Representative Allen Peake of Macon) that appears to have a great amount of potential to attract much crossover support from Democrats in a general election scenario.

Though as mentioned in the linked GeorgiaPol.com article, Cagle's close relationship to the state's business community, Cagle's appeal to moderates and Democrats and Cagle's alleged infidelity potentially could be huge (if not massive) liabilities in a GOP primary race scenario against candidates with much conservative populist appeal like GA Secretary of State Brian Kemp, GA state senators Michael Williams and Josh McKoon, and GOP political operative Nick Ayers.

In any case, the 2018 gubernatorial GOP primary is likely to be a very tough and hard-fought (and possibly even bitter) race in which it will not be out of the possibility that one of the contenders who is currently relatively unknown (or even relatively completely unknown) could emerge as the winner of the primary and the presumed frontrunner in the general election.

[Forhall]

Oh God help us if Kemp is governor. Maybe then we can become a joke of a state like NC and start legislating bathroom use. Are you guys aware the NC legislature just voted to ban gay marriage again? Yes, in 2017, after it was settled by the Supreme Court.

I shutter to think how atlanta would be affected by an idiot far right governor. The film industry would fail after a few studios boycott, which they would. The tech companies relocating here would find somewhere else to go. It would just be terrible.

[cqholt]

When can we bring leadership of the state back to metro Atlanta?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

When can we bring leadership of the state back to metro Atlanta?

It's all about the votes. You'd have to find a candidate who is Atlanta friendly who could win a majority statewide.

[MattCW]

Cagle's nothing but a RINO "bad Deal" lapdog. Kemp actually cares about this state.

[jsvh]

Wish we could get Deal in for another term. Not thrilled about either of these candidates yet. We will see how it plays out.