Georgia Governor's Race Puts State at Center of 2022 Political Drama

ATLANTA — Former Senator David Perdue’s leap Monday into a superior situation against Gov. Brian Kemp, his chap Republican, ensured that Georgia volition beryllium astatine the blistery molten halfway of the governmental beingness adjacent year, with costly and competitory races that volition trial the grip of Trumpism implicit the G.O.P. and measurement the backlash against President Biden successful a authorities that progressively reflects the country’s demography and its divisions.

Already a battleground astatine the statesmanlike level, Georgia volition beryllium the country of aggravated Republican superior showdowns for some politician and caput of state, followed by wide predetermination contests successful which Democrats — led by Senator Raphael Warnock, who is seeking a afloat term, and Stacey Abrams, who narrowly mislaid the 2018 governor’s contention to Mr. Kemp and announced different bid past week — anticipation to support the authorities a bluer tint of purple.

Mr. Perdue, who mislaid his Senate spot aft 1 word to the Democrat Jon Ossoff successful January, is erstwhile President Donald J. Trump’s preferred candidate, portion Mr. Kemp earned a spot connected Mr. Trump’s enemies database aft declining to assistance the erstwhile president overturn his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment successful Georgia. The 2 volition present look disconnected successful May successful an internecine warfare that whitethorn connection the closest approximation to a referendum connected Trumpism adjacent twelvemonth arsenic immoderate successful the country.

“Look, I similar Brian. This isn’t personal,” Mr. Perdue said Monday successful a video announcing his candidacy. But helium implied that Mr. Kemp had damaged his lasting with Georgia’s Trumpist basal of Republican voters.

“He has failed each of us,” Mr. Perdue said of Mr. Kemp, “and cannot triumph successful November.”

Aides to Mr. Kemp gave Mr. Perdue a blistering reception, revealing the depths of the choler implicit what they presumption arsenic his betrayal of a chap Republican and erstwhile governmental ally. They noted that the politician had really beaten Ms. Abrams, portion Mr. Perdue was, astir recently, that astir loathsome of nouns successful the erstwhile president’s vocabulary: a loser.

And Georgians First Inc., a pro-Kemp governmental enactment committee, released an advertisement reminding voters of Mr. Perdue’s banal trades of companies whose concern fell nether the purview of his Senate committees.

While Mr. Kemp boasted a “proven way record,” a run spokesperson for the governor, Cody Hall, said connected Monday, “Perdue is champion known for ducking debates, padding his stock portfolio during a pandemic, and losing winnable races.”

Endorsing Mr. Perdue connected Monday, Mr. Trump called Mr. Kemp “a precise anemic governor” who “can’t triumph due to the fact that the MAGA basal — which is tremendous — volition ne'er ballot for him.”

In entering the governor’s race, Mr. Perdue joins a fig of different G.O.P. candidates who could signifier a slate of high-profile Trump loyalists successful November: The erstwhile shot prima Herschel Walker, with Mr. Trump’s encouragement, is seeking the information to tally against Mr. Warnock. And Representative Jody Hice is challenging the Republican caput of state, Brad Raffensperger, who besides rebuffed Mr. Trump’s entreaties to assistance overturn his defeat.

Both Mr. Walker and Mr. Hice person parroted Mr. Trump’s mendacious assertion that predetermination fraud outgo him the 2020 election.

And Mr. Perdue did not bounds his ain onslaught to Mr. Kemp. Republicans were disunited successful Georgia, helium said, “and Brian Kemp and Brad Raffensperger are to blame.”

The power of Mr. Trump, who has not ruled retired different statesmanlike tally successful 2024, is bound to beryllium felt successful different states’ midterm races. But Mr. Trump has been peculiarly fixated connected Georgia, a authorities helium mislaid by less than 12,000 votes. He and immoderate of his allies are being investigated by the Fulton County territory attorney’s bureau for imaginable transgression violations aft reaching retired to authorities officials, including Mr. Kemp and Mr. Raffensperger, successful an effort to alteration the predetermination results.

If Mr. Perdue and Mr. Walker pb the Republican summons adjacent fall, Georgia voters volition beryllium forced to take betwixt revulsion for Mr. Trump and his incendiary politics, connected the 1 hand, and, connected the other, dissatisfaction with Mr. Biden and unease with the wide authorities that Ms. Abrams and Mr. Warnock embody.

The play volition unfold successful a authorities that, with its gaping divides on the lines of race, people and region, mirrors the federation and its partisan, polarized and progressively poisonous politics.

Georgia besides reflects broader trends among the 2 nationalist parties. Democrats are progressively turning to much divers candidates. But the candidates are inactive stepping gingerly, arsenic Ms. Abrams did successful her motorboat video by trumpeting the thought of “one Georgia,” and seeking to elevate unifying issues that tin entreaty to die-hard liberals and fickle suburbanites alike.

Some Democrats fearfulness that Ms. Abrams, a seasoned authorities legislator and voting-rights advocate, whitethorn look an uphill ascent successful the governor’s contention fixed the challenges confronting the enactment nationally: an unpopular president, inflation, Covid-19, and simmering concerns implicit convulsive transgression and however American past is taught successful schools.

“While David Perdue and Brian Kemp combat each other, Stacey Abrams volition beryllium warring for the radical of Georgia,” said her run manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, pointing to Ms. Abrams’s stances connected wellness coverage, schoolhouse backing and Covid-related wellness policies.

For Republicans, Georgia has present go possibly the astir consequential proving crushed successful the party’s Trump wars. Should Mr. Perdue and different Trump-backed candidates suffer their primaries, it volition rise sedate questions astir the erstwhile president’s clout successful the enactment arsenic good arsenic his ain capableness to vie successful a must-win authorities successful 2024.

By running, Mr. Perdue and his supporters are efficaciously sending the connection that Mr. Trump indispensable beryllium accommodated — and his predetermination denialism perpetuated.

Mr. Perdue’s allies accidental their lawsuit is precise simple: Mr. Kemp is unelectable adjacent November due to the fact that a important fig of Trump devotees volition enactment astatine location if he’s nominated.

“The bitterness betwixt Kemp and Trump is truthful heavy that Kemp cannot triumph a wide election,” said Newt Gingrich, the erstwhile House speaker, who is backing Mr. Perdue. “The question for Georgia Republicans is would you similar Perdue oregon Stacey Abrams, due to the fact that if you’re for Kemp, you’re efficaciously voting for Stacey Abrams.”

For his part, Mr. Kemp, who successful his 2018 contention brandished guns and threatened to circular up “criminal illegals” successful his pickup truck, tin beryllium expected to punctual Republican voters that it is hard to outflank him to the close connected issues similar weapon power oregon termination rights. He besides signed into instrumentality Georgia’s arguable caller voting law, which limits ballot access for voters successful municipality and suburban areas that are location to galore Democrats.

Mr. Kemp’s supporters besides accidental they judge that Ms. Abrams is capable of a polarizing unit to cauterize immoderate G.O.P. wounds sustained successful the primary.

“She volition animate Republicans to travel backmost out,” said Erick Erickson, a Georgia-based blimpish writer and vigor host. “They’re not going to enactment location successful Kemp-versus-Abrams oregon Perdue-versus-Abrams.”

Still, Mr. Erickson, an outspoken Trump detractor, expressed interest that a nasty superior could disrupt adjacent year’s legislative league and contradict Mr. Kemp immoderate caller accomplishments to tally on.

Democrats, who are anxious to amplify the opposition’s discord — and to downplay Mr. Biden’s unpopularity, which is weighing connected the enactment successful Georgia arsenic elsewhere — tin hardly incorporate their glee.

“All that Perdue is going to beryllium talking astir is ‘the predetermination was stolen,’” said Jennifer Jordan, an Atlanta-area authorities legislator moving for lawyer general. “The voters successful my district, the enclosure of commerce Republicans, that is incredibly unseemly to them. You person this guy, Perdue, who had immoderate entreaty successful the concern community, and he’s fundamentally giving that distant due to the fact that present he’s conscionable going to go Trump’s boy.”

Andra Gillespie, an subordinate prof of governmental subject astatine Emory University, said she expected Republicans to rally astir the party’s nominee successful November. But adjacent if that were Mr. Kemp, she said, Mr. Trump could inactive beryllium a chaotic card.

“If Brian Kemp won,” she said, “would Donald Trump beryllium disciplined capable to support his rima unopen successful a wide election?”