Kemp says he’s ‘certainly not running,’ GOP can’t win White House without Georgia

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said Monday that he’s “certainly not running” for the White House next year, but emphasized how crucial his state will be to the eventual GOP nominee.

“In politics, there’s always doors opening and closing. I got a great job right now. I personally feel like having more people in the race does not help us win and beat Joe Biden,” Kemp told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.” “So, you know, I’m certainly not running for president. But there’s always doors opening in politics depending on how things play out, and we’ll see what happens.”

As he has done repeatedly in the past, the governor called on current GOP front-runner and former President Trump to “be forward-thinking” and abandon his narrative of false claims surrounding the 2020 election.

“If he continues to do that, he’s going to lose Georgia in November,” Kemp said, later adding, “There is no path for us to win the White House if we can’t win Georgia.”

Kemp and Trump have repeatedly clashed over the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including in the Peach State, where he lost by fewer than 12,000 votes.

Trump’s push there is currently the subject of a criminal investigation headed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis that is expected to see final charging decisions next month.

Kemp said he’s “disappointed that it’s taken this long.”

“People are wondering, like, why has this taking so long?… Why haven’t we had resolution? So, I think I think that just sows distrust in the system, which is unfortunate. That’s not what people should be feeling, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on. So, it is, you know, in my eyes, frustrating but we’ll see what she comes out with at the appropriate time,” he said.

Earlier Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected a Trump attempt to quash the probe in a unanimous decision.