Before Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance took the stage Monday at the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition gala, one of the nation’s most prominent evangelical leaders heaped praise on another GOP figure in the room.
Ralph Reed, the organization’s founder, called Gov. Brian Kemp the nation’s “best” governor. He trumpeted his support for a 2019 anti-abortion law. And, above all, he thanked him for back-to-back victories over his Democratic archrival.
“And if he never does anything else, we will owe him a debt of gratitude for the rest of our lives,” Reed said. “Because of his bold conservative leadership, Stacey Abrams will not be governor, not now, not ever.”
The annual dinner held at the Cobb Galleria Centre was more than a routine stop on the campaign trail for Vance. It also showcased GOP efforts to unite once-fractious factions in Georgia behind former President Donald Trump’s comeback bid.
Vance was one of several Republicans who helped broker a truce between Kemp and Trump after the former president berated the governor and his wife Marty at a rally in Atlanta in August.
Trump has since declared all was forgiven, and Kemp, who has long maintained his support for the GOP nominee, has worked to move beyond the one-sided feud and encourage mainstream, moderate and MAGA Republicans to unite.
“The future of our country depends on it,” said Kemp, marking the first time he joined Vance at a public event this campaign. “And I believe that by working together and being united, we can finish the drill and save America.”
Vance made a similar argument, bashing Vice President Kamala Harris’ stances on immigration and the economy. He pointedly complimented Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, two Republicans who Trump unsuccessfully tried to oust in 2022.
“This election is too important,” Vance said. “We just have to tell the truth. Tell the truth about Kamala Harris and tell the truth about Donald Trump. And we will win.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Trump’s campaign is relying on help from the coalition, whose leaders have promised to mount the largest voter outreach initiative in Georgia history targeting conservative voters of faith.
Polls show a tight race between Trump and Harris in Georgia, a state that Republicans view as the linchpin in the former president’s comeback strategy. President Joe Biden narrowly won the state in 2020, and the GOP has hungered to recapture it since.
Vance also used the event to highlight Trump’s role in appointing three U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted to reverse Roe v. Wade in 2022, clearing the way for state-level abortion limits to take effect.
“We are united in our gratitude and our admiration for these devoted defenders of the unborn and for the judges, justices, and especially President Trump, whose commitment to defending the law and the Constitution allowed this breakthrough after over 50 years,” Vance said to the packed ballroom.
Democrats say the GOP’s anti-abortion stances will come back to haunt them, and they’ve poured money into ads and messaging reminding voters of Harris’ pledge to sign legislation that would reinstate the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia, previewed Vance’s visit by warning that Trump would seek to extend abortion limits if he prevails. Trump wouldn’t say whether he would veto a federal abortion ban at last week’s debate, saying it wasn’t an issue because such restrictions would never pass a divided Congress.
“We have no time to waste,” said Williams, “and must urgently address this crisis by electing Vice President Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot to restore reproductive freedom nationwide.”
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