Republican declares victorious Georgian governor, Democrat does not concede

(Reuters) – Republican campaigner Brian Kemp said Wednesday he won the race for the Georgian governor, but Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams promised not to yield until all votes were counted.

"In simple terms, it is mathematically impossible for Stacey Abrams to win or force the end of the elections," Kemp spokesman Cody Hall said in a statement Wednesday evening. "Brian Kemp will now begin his transition as Georgia's elected governor."

Abrams, 44, is trying to become the first black woman to be elected governor of a US state. The unofficial results of Tuesday's elections showed that Kemp was leading with more than 60,000 votes and a little more than the 50% threshold he needed to prevent a run-off under Georgia's law.

The Abrams campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, said that there were still thousands of postal, provisional and correspondence ballots, to be determined.

The Democratic campaign denounced an "incredible number of irregularities" on polling day, including rejected ballots and failed voting machines, and said it would consider all options, including litigation, to ensure just elections.

The Georgian contest was one of three dozen governors elections on Tuesday.

In some states, the races were seen as an early test of party strength ahead of the 2020 presidential race. The Democrats seized seven Republican-controlled governorates, including several states that contributed to the surprise victory of the party. Republican President Donald Trump in 2016, without suffering losses.

But Republicans triumphed in Florida and Ohio, two states that could play a disproportionate role in 2020.

In Florida, the Democrat Andrew Gillum lost his attempt to become the first black governor of the state after losing to Republican Ron DeSantis in a racist fight.

The Republicans also won a major victory in the Ohio governor's race, where Attorney General Mike DeWine defeated Democrat Richard Cordray.

But in Wisconsin, Democrat Tony Evers appeared to win a close victory to prevent incumbent Republican candidate Scott Walker from running for a third term.

The Democrats also won governorship races in three other states – Michigan, Pennsylvania and Kansas – supporting Trump in 2016.

In Michigan, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer has rejected Republican Bill Schuette, while in Kansas, Democrat Laura Kelly has defeated Kris Kobach, a convinced ally of Trump.

Democratic candidates also triumphed in Illinois, Maine, New Mexico and Nevada, where Republicans had served as governors.

"EVERY VOTE ACCOUNT"

The races in Florida and Georgia were seen as a test of whether Liberal candidates could win in the southern states, where centrist democrats have lost several times, calling on a coalition of 39, young and minority voters.

DeSantis and Kemp both had strong support from Trump, who visited their member states in the final days of campaigns to give Republicans energy at "Make America Great" gatherings. Again. " Former Democratic President Barack Obama has stepped in to strengthen Democrats.

Kemp, 55, oversees the election in his current role as Secretary of State, a potential conflict of interest that has prompted repeated criticism from Democrats during the campaign. He refused to withdraw from his post and denied Democratic accusations that he used his office to crack down on minority voters.

The struggle for state power has attracted less attention than the battle for control of the US Congress, but could have a major impact on issues such as the redistricting of Congress and health care.

Governors and hundreds of legislators elected this year will take office when each state redraws congress districts after the 2020 census.

On Tuesday, the Republicans controlled 33 town halls of governors and two-thirds of legislative chambers.

Democrats, who have caught up to the net loss of 13 governorates and more than 900 legislative seats in power over the past eight years under the Obama administration, have presented their widest range of parliamentary candidates in more than three decades.

On Tuesday, the party overthrew six legislative chambers and now fully controls the state government of Colorado, New York, Illinois, Maine, and New Mexico.

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