Democrat Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday that she will make another run for governor of Georgia in 2022, a move that a local political scientist described as unsurprising.
Nathan Price, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the University of North Georgia, recently spoke on WDUN’s Newsroom.
“I was not surprised to see her get in … I thought it took longer than I was expecting,” Price said. “I thought if there was reticence, it might be due to … perception of a very difficult midterm election for Democrats … midterm elections are usually difficult for the party in power.”
Price said the race for governor of Georgia in 2022 now looks a little clearer, as Abrams is the first and only democrat so far to declare their candidacy. The Republican side of the election is slightly more complicated, according to Price.
“Governor Kemp has already attracted a primary challenger in Vernon Jones, and we have heard publicly throughout the last few weeks that former Senator David Purdue is considering his own primary challenge,” Price said.
Price said a potential primary challenge from Purdue could equate to an expensive and bruising primary for the Republican candidates in the race.
“Whenever parties can avoid a bruising primary like that, they usually try to do so,” Price said. “Former President Trump does seem to prefer Senator Perdue, and that could make it very difficult for the state Georgia party to have that same ability to vote the balance.”
On the topic of former President Trump, Price said allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election from Trump led to fewer republican voters turning out to the Senate pecial election in January. Trump continues to share these allegations, which Price said he believes Georgians are ready to move on from ahead of the midterms.
“I think Georgia republicans are going to want to move on from the script. They are not going to want to have anybody repeating a message that could make some voters sit home if they think that this process isn’t fair,” Price said.
Play the audio at the top of this story to hear the full interview Mitch Clarke had with Nathan Price on WDUN’s Newsroom.
