Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement Wednesday morning stating that he will respect the results of Tuesday’s “secure, accessible and fair elections.” He also said he will not be calling a special session before his term ends in January.
“I will not be calling a special session of the Georgia General Assembly in order to curtail executive branch powers or debate redistricting changes. There are, however, budgetary issues that may need to be addressed before the convening of the regular session in January,” Kemp said.
On Tuesday night, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was declared the winner of the Georgia gubernatorial race over Republican nominee Rick Jackson. Bottoms will take office in January.
On his personal social media accounts, Kemp congratulated Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff on their wins and thanked Jackson for his campaign.
“Marty, the girls, and I are praying for the governor-elect and her family as they lead our state over the next four years. I’d also like to thank Rick Jackson and all of our Republican candidates for running spirited campaigns and putting themselves forward, and congratulate Senator Ossoff on a hard-fought win.”
Ossoff keeping his seat led to the Democrats regaining control of U.S. Senate. Democrats also regained the U.S. House.
Kemp said that Republicans need to learn from Tuesday night’s election results.
“I firmly believe the conservative principles of our party lead to greater freedom, security, and prosperity for all Americans—and it’s time we get back to those principles in the months and years to come.”
