Trail Notes: Kemp's big week
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
The legislative session is over, and that means the primary campaign season is about to heat up. There’s a lot to keep track of.
- Rather than bombard you (you have Twitter for that) I’m going to highlight what you need to know in a new weekly series. We’re calling it “Trail Notes.” (Get it?)
1 headline
Republicans lead Stacey Abrams in the latest independent poll.
The poll, funded by Nexstar, conducted by Emerson College/The Hill, shows Brian Kemp beating Abrams by 7 points in a hypothetical November race and Kemp’s primary challenger David Perdue beating Abrams by 5.
- It also shows Kemp beating Perdue by 11 points in the May primary.
- It has Herschel Walker leading incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock by 4 points.
- 52% of voters said Georgia runs fair elections. 49% said recreational marijuana should be legalized.
- Abrams’ campaign manager pushed back on the “GOP-leaning primary electorate” poll.
Bottom line: Polls show how one group of people feel in one moment in time and should always be taken with many grains of salt. You can see them all in one place at FiveThirtyEight.
Scene of the week
Fresh off a legislative session full of victories, Kemp was confident on the campaign trail in Dahlonega yesterday. Perdue spoke to the local Lumpkin County GOP that same night.
- Mike Ehlers of Gainesville came to see Kemp. He’s a big Trump fan and hopes Trump will run in 2024. He believes the 2020 election was stolen and didn’t vote in the Georgia Senate runoffs.
- But! He told Axios he’s voting for Kemp, despite Trump’s anger at the sitting Governor, based on Kemp’s legislative record. “They’re both good Republicans,” Ehlers tells Axios.
Of note: David Perdue’s team confirmed to Axios he plans to participate in at least three primary debates, starting with WSB’s on April 24.
- Kemp has knocked Perdue for being slow to confirm his participation. Perdue famously skirted his last debate during the Senate runoffs.
Trail mix
“It’s always hard to beat a sitting governor. It is hard, very hard… But we will see what happens. David Perdue is a good man. He’s working hard.”— Former President Trump on "The John Fredericks Show" this week, seeming to hedge on his confidence in his endorsee.
Email Emma at [email protected] with what you think should be in next week’s Trail Notes.