Brian Kemp Ignites Republican Civil War in Georgia

Brian Kemp's refusal to help Donald Trump has sparked a civil war within the Republican party in Georgia, deepening an existing rift growing between mainstream Republicans like the state governor and MAGA loyalists like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.

The relationship between Kemp and Trump—as well as other MAGA Republicans—has been icy since the governor rebuffed the former president's requests to overturn the result of the presidential election in Georgia in 2020. Since then, Kemp has been vocal in his criticism of Trump and his acolytes, calling for the GOP to move on from the controversial figure of the former president.

On Wednesday, Kemp denounced Republicans' attacks against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who's overseeing the Georgia case against Trump and other 18 co-defendants, by calling it a "political theater that only inflames the emotions of the moment" he will not be engaging with.

The state case sees Trump and others among his closest associates—including Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows—accused of conspiring together on an election plot to overturn his loss in Georgia in 2020. Trump faces 13 of the 41 total charges, including a violation of the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, commonly used to prosecute crime gangs.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, calling the case a political "witch hunt."

The same claims have been repeated by Republicans supporting him, with Republican State Senator Colton Moore recently calling on Kemp to declare an emergency session to investigate and potentially impeach Willis in relation to her approximate 2-and-a-half-year investigation. But Kemp made a very public refusal.

"The bottom line is that in the state of Georgia, as long as I'm governor, we're going to follow the law and the Constitution, regardless of who it helps or harms politically," he declared during a news conference on Wednesday.

State House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican, has been siding with Kemp, opposing a special session aimed at removing Willis.

"All those charged are innocent until proven guilty, and I am certain both sides will ensure this matter is exhaustively considered through the courts," Burns wrote in a letter to fellow state Republicans.

Kemp's refusal to side with Trump and his supporters and call for Willis' removal has angered the former president, who recently attacked him on his social media platform Truth Social.

"Governor Kemp of Georgia is fighting hard against the impeachment of the crooked, incompetent & highly partisan D.A. of Fulton County, Fani Willis, who has allowed murder and other violent crime to MASSIVELY ESCALATE," Trump wrote in a post published on August 21. "Crime in Atlanta is WORST IN NATION. She should be impeached for many reasons, not just the Witch Hunt (I did nothing wrong!)."

Some of his supporters, like Giuliani, spoke similarly harsh words about the Georgia governor, with Trump's former personal lawyer telling Newsmax: "Kemp is part of it. I have no idea why Republicans re-elected him. One of the dumbest things they ever did. [...] He can be one of the biggest lawbreakers in Georgia history."

"Brian Kemp is going to 'follow the law and the constitution' by letting a corrupt DA indict the leading candidate for president for literally exercising his constitutional rights," Trump's spokeswoman Liz Harrington wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.

And yet, Republican voters are apparently ignoring the growing division within Georgia's GOP factions. According to the latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, released on Tuesday, GOP voters in the state are split between their support for the state governor and their enthusiasm for the former president—without apparently perceiving any contradiction in the two stances.

While a majority of 57 percent of Republican voters in the state said they would back Trump during the GOP primary, the most popular Republican in the state is Kemp, who's been openly critical of the former president.

Crucially, Kemp was re-elected in 2022 after defeating Trump-backed candidate David Perdue in a landslide primary.

Some within the party are appreciative of the fine line Kemp has successfully managed to work—pleasing his base while distancing himself from Trump.

"Brian Kemp once again showing the roadmap other Republicans would be wise to follow," Georgia's former Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan wrote on X.

The infighting between the party is likely to continue next year and threatens to weaken the party at a crucial time for U.S. politics.