[ad_1]
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to supporters in Atlanta, Nov. 8.
Photo:
Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Zuma Press
In their frenzied rush to declare Gov.
Ron DeSantis
the new standard-bearer for the Republican Party, political pundits passed over the more logical choice: Gov.
Brian Kemp
of Georgia.
Mr. DeSantis’s re-election margin was wider, but Florida is a red state and its Democratic Party is a shambles.
Charlie Crist
was a weak opponent, and the Sunshine State’s U.S. Senate race was barely competitive. Goofy could have won the Florida governorship if he switched parties and put “R., Magic Kingdom” after his name.
Georgia, by contrast, is a true swing state.
Joe Biden
narrowly carried it in 2020, and two Democrats beat Republican incumbents. The state is competitive thanks in no small part to the efforts of
Stacey Abrams,
who built one of America’s most formidable Democratic get-out-the-vote machines. That makes Mr. Kemp’s decisive victory over Ms. Abrams all the more notable—especially given that the re-elected Republican was at the top of Donald Trump’s dead-to-me list.
I live in Pennsylvania, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Georgia over the past year. I got the impression—even from folks who had no intention of voting for him—that Mr. Kemp is the kind of guy you wouldn’t mind having a beer with. And like Mr. DeSantis, he kept businesses and schools open during the pandemic.
If Mr. Kemp got the nomination, you could paint Georgia red. He’d almost certainly carry North Carolina and maybe even Virginia. He’s the type of Republican to which Pennsylvanians have traditionally warmed. He’s bland and pragmatic enough to appeal to Wisconsin and Minnesota residents. He’d surely generate solid support from rural America, and I suspect suburban moms and dads would like him too.
As a Democrat who has worked on a few congressional campaigns, I take no joy in laying out these meatball-size bread crumbs to what passes for today’s GOP brain trust. But I think a Kemp-Biden race could be good for America. It wouldn’t be exciting, but after the soul-sucking chaos of the past few election cycles, that’s nothing to complain about.
Mr. Westcott is managing partner with Turn Two Communications.
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Appeared in the November 22, 2022, print edition.
[ad_2]
Source link
(This article is generated through the syndicated feeds, Financetin doesn’t own any part of this article)
