Ga. Gov. Kemp: Didn't Vote for Trump or Anyone in Primary

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who has been feuding with Donald Trump since after the 2020 election, admitted Wednesday he didn't vote for the former president during his state's presidential primary in March.

"I didn't vote for anybody. I voted, but I didn't vote for anybody," Kemp told CNN. "I mean, the race was already over when the primary got here. I always try to go vote and, you know, play a part in it, but look at that point, it didn't really matter."

Kemp said he would support the Republican ticket in November but declined to explicitly endorse Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee."[I] said all along for the most part that I would support the ticket, and that's what I've always done and that's what I'm doing this November," Kemp said.

Trump was sharply critical of Kemp after becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to lose Georgia since George H.W. Bush in 1992. Trump wanted Kemp to call a special legislative session after he lost Georgia to President Joe Biden by 11,779 votes, but Kemp refused.

Kemp also has bucked calls to remove Democrat Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from her prosecution of Trump and 14 co-defendants on charges of trying to interfere in the state's 2020 election results. Trump pleaded not guilty and has vehemently denied all wrongdoing, claiming the case is a political witch hunt.

Trump endorsed former Sen. David Perdue during Georgia's Republican gubernatorial primary in 2022, but Kemp crushed Perdue by 51.9 percentage points.

Despite the bad blood, Kemp said Trump should focus on the future at Thursday's debate, which is taking place in Atlanta.

"Trump has a great opportunity to really be forward-thinking," Kemp said. "Not look in the rearview mirror, not focused on the past, but stay focused on the future contrast," Kemp said.

Kemp said he has not spoken with Trump directly since Trump launched his presidential campaign.

"We'll see how the race plays out and what they might ask for or need," Kemp said. "But, I mean, like right now I'm focused on turning the ticket out, so we win. I mean, regardless of, you know, our history together, I have a vested interest in Georgia remaining in Republican hands."

Georgia is expected to be key battleground state, though the FiveThirtyEight polling average for the state shows Trump with a lead of 5.3 percentage points (44.1%-38.8%) over Biden.