Georgia's Governor Election: Still Undecided

There’s nothing I love more than a politically divisive climate: Just two groups of Americans at each other's throats constantly. And this only escalates during election season, but it’s especially great at the local level, when all of the political angst present in the whole country is confined to a small space: unless your local election attracts federal attention and Trump, Pence, and Oprah Winfrey come to your city to try to sway voters’ opinions.

If you couldn’t tell by my opening, I’m not a big fan of election season. I’m entirely grateful for the fact that America allows me the freedom to vote for my representatives, but what I don’t appreciate is the political insanity that surrounds American politics. I have, however, been keeping up with the gubernatorial candidates’ campaigns. So, for those of you who haven’t (not that I blame you), I’ll give you a brief recap of 2018 Georgia Governor’s election.

Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for governor, resigned from the position of Georgia Secretary of State - but not until after the election, which he was overseeing. He’s deemed himself the “politically incorrect candidate,” trying to appeal to red Georgia. Kemp knows his demographic and knows how to get their vote. He’s been endorsed by Trump and Pence and accused of voter fraud countless times.

Stacey Abrams is the Democratic governor candidate. She’s written nine romance novels under a different name and has been criticized for her $200,000 of debt. She’s had Oprah’s endorsement, and if elected, she would be the first black female governor in American history.

Look around Atlanta. Every neighborhood seems to be split in half: one side’s lawns littered with Kemp signs, but the other side has “Abrams” spray painted across the house’s garage. Atlanta has been a pretty accurate representation of Georgia as a whole. The votes for Kemp and Abrams were split roughly down the middle, with Kemp winning majority by less than 70,000 votes (50.4%).

The results have yet to be confirmed, but Kemp has the majority vote, and Ted Metz, the Libertarian candidate, didn’t get enough votes to force Abrams and Kemp into a runoff.

While there still may not be an official winner, whether you’re a Kemp fan, an Abrams supporter, or neither, I think we can all agree that we just want what’s best for our home state.

By Caroline Parrish