Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has declared victory in the gubernatorial race and says he is stepping down as the state’s top election official Thursday to begin his transition to governor.
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Kemp's resignation comes at the tail end of a race in which he's been dogged by critics, including opponent Stacey Abrams and former President Jimmy Carter, who have urged him to resign throughout the course of the race because of potential conflict of interest as secretary of state, a position that encompasses overseeing of elections. Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Kemp said stepping down would "give public confidence to the certification process."
But when asked why he chose to resign now, Kemp denied it was because of the criticism.
"I wasn’t really concerned about that but I think in light of where we are now, this will give public confidence to the certification process," Kemp said.
"We’ve had other Democrat secretaries of state serve in their own election many, many times, including a run for governor," he said. "I don’t feel like anyone was better suited than myself. But not only myself, but my great team that we have in the elections division, the great partnership we have created with the county elections officials that actually run the Election Day today.”
But Abrams' campaign criticized how the election was handled, including Kemp's declaration of victory before all the votes have been counted, and said Kemp's resignation came only after he oversaw the election.
"He decided to not resign. He decided to oversee his own election. That was not our choice. He owns this, and he owes the people of Georgia an explanation," Abrams' campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo said in a press conference Thursday.
ABC News has not yet projected a winner in the Kemp-Abrams race because ABC News does not project races that fall within a margin of 1 percentage point, due to concerns about errors in the vote tabulation or possible outstanding votes still to be counted. In Georgia, a winning candidate needs to clear 50 percent plus one to avoid a runoff.
While Kemp leads Abrams 51 percent to 48 percent, he is not more than 1 percentage point away from breaking 50 percent -- which is required for victory in Georgia.
Kemp said he believes his lead is insurmountable. Republican Gov. Nathan Deal has also recognized him as the winner of the election.
On Thursday afternoon, Deal appointed former Georgia Department of Human Services Commissioner Robyn A. Crittendon to fill Kemp's vacant seat. Crittendon is the first African-American woman to serve as a statewide constitutional officer in Georgia history, according to Deal's office. In the release, Deal referred to Kemp as "Gov.-elect."