Brian Kemp is formally announcing he’s running for Secretary of State. Here’s what we’ve got from the campaign, complete with an initial list of supporters:
Former State Senator Brian Kemp filed paperwork today officially beginning his campaign for Secretary of State.
The current Secretary of State, Karen Handel, has announced her intention to run for Governor.
Craig Lesser and Wesley Langdale will serve as Campaign Co-Chairs.
Mr. Lesser is the former Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development. He also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the World Trade Center of Atlanta, Secretary of the Georgia China Alliance, and Chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce International Programs Committee.
Mr. Langdale currently serves as a board member for the Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Forestry Association, and the Georgia Conservancy. Wesley has recently been appointed to serve on Georgia’s Regional Water Planning Council (Suwannee-Satilla). He also currently serves as the President of The Langdale Company.
Harold Reynolds will serve as Campaign Treasurer. Mr. Reynolds is CEO and Chairman of BankSouth, President of Reynolds Development Company, and past President of Reynolds Plantation. He is earned a Bachelor of Industrial Systems Engineering Georgia Tech and is a member of the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame.
Mark Middleton will serve as the campaign’s legal counsel. Mr. Middleton, an administrative law expert, previously served as a Hearing Officer at the Georgia Public Service Commission, Chief of Staff at the Department of Education, and as former Director of Research and Development for the Georgia Republican Party. He has represented numerous clients before the Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Department of Insurance, Public Service Commission, and many other executive agencies.
Kemp starts his campaign with the support of 32 of the 34 Republican members of the State Senate. Senators Johnson and Shafer are announced candidates for Lt. Governor. He has also garnered the support of 20 Republican members of the House of Representatives. A full list is detailed below. Further endorsements will be announced in the near future.
Said Kemp, “Karen Handel has done a great job reforming and streamlining this vital office. I am running to continue her good work and to make the Secretary of State’s office a partner in efforts to create jobs across our state.”
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers echoed the thoughts of many Republican leaders when he recently said, “Brian Kemp is a conservative Republican leader with broad appeal across our state. His professional background makes him the best-qualified candidate for this seat. He will make Republicans and all Georgians proud in this vital office.”
Over his career, Brian Kemp has helped found and develop many small businesses. Today, among his many business interests, he is the owner of Kemp Properties, a small business specializing in real estate investments and property management. An active community leader, Kemp also serves on the boards of First Madison Bank & Trust and St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens.
Kemp served in the Georgia State Senate from 2002-2006, having defeated a Democrat incumbent in one of the most challenging political environments for Republicans in the state. In 2006, Kemp sought the Republican nomination for Agriculture Commissioner. Over the course of that campaign, he raised over $800,000 and built a statewide network of over 300 elected Republican officials and hundreds of grassroots leaders.
A lifelong resident of Athens, Georgia, Brian Kemp is a graduate of Georgia’s public schools and the University of Georgia, where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture.
Kemp, 45, is married to the former Marty Argo of Athens. They are the proud parents of three daughters. The Kemps are active members of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens.
Kemp Campaign Leadership
Mr. Craig Lesser, Co-Chair
Mr. Wesley Langdale, Co-Chair
Mr. Harold Reynolds, Treasurer
Mr. Mark Middleton, Legal Counsel
State Senate Supporters
Sen. Jeff Mullis
Sen. Chip Rogers
Sen. Tommie Williams
Sen. Chip Pearson
Sen. Don Balfour
Sen. John Bulloch
Sen. John Crosby
Sen. Ronnie Chance
Sen. Jeff Chapman
Sen. Bill Cowsert
Sen. John Douglas
Sen. Greg Goggans
Sen. Johnny Grant
Sen. Bill Hamrick
Sen. Seth Harp
Sen. Jim Butterworth
Sen. Lee Hawkins
Sen. Bill Heath
Sen. Jack Hill
Sen. Judson Hill
Sen. Ralph Hudgens
Sen. Bill Jackson
Sen. Dan Moody
Sen. Jack Murphy
Sen. Mitch Seabaugh
Sen. Preston Smith
Sen. Cecil Staton
Sen. Don Thomas
Sen. Ross Tolleson
Sen. Renee Unterman
Sen. Dan Weber
Sen. John Wiles
Sen. Tommie Williams
State House Supporters
Rep. Jay Roberts
Rep. Mark Hamilton
Rep. Michael Harden
Rep. Jim Cole
Rep. Sean Jerguson
Rep. Gene Maddox
Rep. Terry England
Rep. Tom McCall
Rep. Jon Burns
Rep. Calvin Hill
Rep. Joe Wilkinson
Rep. Bob Lane
Rep. Barbara Sims
Rep. Tommy Benton
Rep. Carl Rogers
Rep. Mark Williams
Rep. Ed Setzler
Rep. Ben Harbin
Rep. Lee Anderson
Rep. Cecily Hill
Former Legislators
Rep. Chuck Harper
Rep. Barbara Bunn
Sen. Bill Stephens
Sen. Joseph Carter
Sen. Jim Whitehead
Sen. Nancy Schaefer
Sen. Don Cheeks
Sen. Charlie Tanksley
Sen. Joey Brush
{ 41 comments }
There isn’t a better choice than Brian Kemp. Go Kemp!
Go Kemp!!! BTW, who is Lumpkin County State Representatives Amos Amerson and Doug Collins supporting?
i’ve known kemp for some time now, and i wholeheartedly support him in this endeavor.
i guess mr. icarus will now come out opposing him?
Brian Kemp is just the person we need for this job. He is the hardest working most honest person in GA government today. If he works as hard in the office of Sec of State as he did as GA Senator, the citizens of GA are in good hands.
kemp seems as qualified as anyone for this post–i am quite curious however if we will see any dominoes “unfall” by this this next year–at the 05 state convention it seems ox was still running for ltguv, and highsmith for att gen, i still have a perry maguire for sec of state bumper sticker from that convention, and karen handel was not even in the sos race ye at that point—just saying…
i still have a perry maguire for sec of state bumper sticker from that convention
Now THAT is very funny. :LMFAO:
;D
Just because he has a long list of endorsements doesn’t make him the best choice. Look at Jim Whitehead and Ralph Reed. Also why was he qualified for Ag. but now he is qualified to be SoS. The Republican Party needs fresh blood with good credentials not just endorsements.
Mr. Kemp certainly does have an impressive list of endorsements.
But that’s just what they are – endorsements, from establishment lawmakers in the Republican party.
Not too long ago, Mr. Kemp ran for (and lost) the Republican nomination for Agriculture Commissioner. He had the same endorsements from the same familiar lawmakers.
Now he’s seeking the office of Secretary of State.
Normally I don’t like to question a man’s motives, but is Mr. Kemp just running for elected office for the sake of getting into elected office?
Brian Kemp will make a great SOS.
What this shows me is that he already has a great state wide network in place.
He will be the next SOS!
If you had spoken to Kemp you would have your very clear answer. Kemp has been forthright that he had a deep desire to be agriculture commissioner, but republican voters made it clear that they prefer Gary Black over him.
He could have chosen to fight the same fight again, but what purpose would that serve? It would only divide our party in an election when we need to unite behind a strong ticket.
Kemp wants to serve Georgia in public office. He thought the best thing for our party and our state was to find another venue and secretary of state is a perfect fit for his talents.
To me that is the best kind of ambition – finding a path to serve that unites people rather than divides them.
Sounds like the best qualified candidate for that office in a long, long time.
Disclosure: I’m a republican.
This roll out is an example of what is wrong with our party. I’m not taking a shot a Mr. Kemp. He just happens to be the example I get to use to rant about. Republicans need to quit recycling candidates that are not particulary qualified for said office. Just because 300 inside baseball folks say “this is who we want” doesn’t mean that candidate is the best choice for our party as a candidate. If we’re going to start winning again as a party, we better make sure we take advantage of the primary process and vett out the best candidate with the best ideas. I think it’s a hard sell to convince folks that you wanted to be Ag Secretary so badly that you stopped “working for the people” to “better serve” them as AgSec but now can “best serve” them as SoS. Maybe I’m just missing the argument.
Political retreads like Alan Keyes are what give us the Barrak Obamas of the world.
SoS, Ag, whatever, he clearly wants to hold statewide office and be important. Those are always the best public servants. But really, in these trying economic times, we should laud those who are willing to do any job they can possibly get. That’s what made America great. Limitless possibilities.
Sounds like the best qualified candidate for that office in a long, long time.
He’s the best candidate since Oxendine!
Wow. Where is it written that you can’t be qualified for the Office of Ag and the Office of Sec of State? Mr. Kemp is indeed qualified for both offices. If you have any doubt, make it sinple on yourself; just contact Mr. Kemp and talk. At least then you will know more about the subject.
Look, Mr. Kemp can explain it away any way he wants to, and I’m sure he genuinely wants to serve the state in some capacity.
But here’s the best point I’ve seen made on this thread all day (beyond my own):
“Just because 300 inside baseball folks say “this is who we want” doesn’t mean that candidate is the best choice for our party as a candidate. “
Also, running the same statewide candidates time after time for whatever office is open (cough, cough, Jim Martin) hasn’t worked so well for the Dems, and I don’t think the GOP should duplicate such actions.
Good luck to Mr. Kemp in the primary. But he’s not necessarily the best guy for the job because x, y, and z state legislators are for him.
Having met Gary Black and Brian Kemp, they are both nice people. After getting to know both, only one of them was capable of doing the job and thus he was our Republican nominee – Gary Black.
I think that there are more qualified candidates in the race or going to run than Mr. Kemp.
So by “do the best thing for the party” you mean continue to run against Gary Black in a runoff even though everyone knew he had no chance to win. The end result was he weakened the best candidate and hurt the party’s chances to beat Irvin in November…
Sandy Springs Conservative, I know that it is hard to either be or work for a city councilman that thinks he has the wualifications or the know how to think he can run for SOS. If you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen.
If you knew brian kemp or knew of brian kemps qualifications for this office you wouldn’t have said anything.
Brian was one of the hardest working, most effective senators at the capitol. And in his first term, he passed more legislation than any other Senator. He passed legislation that ended up saving the state a lot of money.
Kemp is a small business owner who has founded and developed several small business. He understands the role that the SOS has.
In regard to his endorsements, all that says is that those elected leaders trust Brian to get the job done.
In regard to his running for ag commissioner before- he felt that it was a time for a change. That it was time for new leadership. And it was and still is. The people of georgia decided on gary black instead of kemp.
Kemp is now running for sos where he is more qualified than any other dog catcher that may be thinking about running
Georgia will be thnkful to have brian kemp as second of state.
Ron2008. Are u a ron paul supporter? Do you not like kemp because he has yet to talk about about the return to the gold standard?
I seem to remember gary black losing because irvin accused him of being a special interest lobbyist, not because of kemp.
Use some specfics ron and maybe you will be worth a response
Well said JS.
Sandy Springs it is obvious who you are for in this race, if you think some little rinky dink councilman stands a chance against a past State Senator who has run state wide once before and has name rec and a network across the state you are sadly mistaken.
I agree that endorsements do not mean much, what helps is all of the supporters and financial support each of those Senators and Reps can give to Kemp. They bring a lot more to the table then just an endorsement.
Also, if we want to talk about the recycling of candidates what do you call Gary Black (I like Gary nd will support him in 2010) he is running again. And lets not forget about Johnny Isakson, how many times did he run before he was elected to something??? He was a perinial candidate in the late 80′s and 90′s.
Well said big dawg. Thanks for speaking the truth on here. It refreahing after hearing ron2008 and sandy springs dog catcher.
Jealousy is tough. I mean having almost all of the republican state senators is tough. When you actually are a qualified candidate, its tough for a vity councilman to believe that he can run statewide
City councilman*
Well, I like it that he ran against Gary Black, Mr. Agribusiness, pro-GMO incarnate, who is on the payroll of fine companies like Monsanto.
Don’t we spend most of our time complaining about the establishment GOPer’s? This guy looks like a perfect specimen. And having that long list of endorsements from the legislators who spend 3 1/2 months out of every year screwing us…is that really a good thing? I’m just curious.
But then I forgot what Limited Government means to our esteemed GOP officials: “All your rights and liberties are limited to what we say they are.” They do know what’s best, after all. That’s why we put them in office. I just wish it were a little more fun when we get screwed. But maybe I’m asking for too much.
I almost hate to post this because I do like Brian personally, but I can’t say I’m really sold on him being completely qualified for this job. Legislative experience doesn’t do much for an SOS candidate. I appreciate that he wants to serve, but jumping into whatever office opens up in a given election year seems more like someone is a bit over ambititious than that they have tremedous gifts they want to share.
JS,
So I bring up legitimate concerns about Mr. Kemp running for multiple offices, and you respond by… attacking me?!? Classy.
I must have missed something. Erick posted a very nice article about Brian Kemp’s formal announcement to run for Sec of State. Great! Then all hell breaks lose. Exactly what qualifications for the office of Sec of State does Mr Kemp not have? Please state your facts and let your concerns fall where they may.
I thought that was all your baseless attack was worth. Many great leaders have run for office more than once. I think that Bottomline accurately stated it yesterday:
“If you had spoken to Kemp you would have your very clear answer. Kemp has been forthright that he had a deep desire to be agriculture commissioner, but republican voters made it clear that they prefer Gary Black over him.
He could have chosen to fight the same fight again, but what purpose would that serve? It would only divide our party in an election when we need to unite behind a strong ticket.
Kemp wants to serve Georgia in public office. He thought the best thing for our party and our state was to find another venue and secretary of state is a perfect fit for his talents.
To me that is the best kind of ambition – finding a path to serve that unites people rather than divides them.”
Couldn’t this just be a civil service position?
I don’t think Georgia voters will elect Kemp for SoS. Clearly they do not want someone with a college degree for that position. He might as well not run for LG either if he is going to insist he went to school.
It wasn’t until Casey stopped the ridiculous “I went to Georgia Southern” charade that voters began to embrace him. Book learnin’ is for losers and Democrats.
So Kemp, object lesson, root for Georgia, but deny you went there.
Ok I’m done talking about Kemp. Everyone has made good points.
Yes I did support Ron Paul and worked with his grass roots campaign. Maybe if the Republicans took a page out of that book we wouldn’t be in this mess with the democrats right now. I find it funny how the same things Dr. Paul campaigned for a coming true now. Hell we just had a tea party at the capitol with many prominent republicans in attendance. You know what they were saying? It’s time for a revolution. Sound Familiar.
Those politicians just stuck their finger in the wind and realized that it is blowing in the direction of people being pissed off and sick of lip service. But then they go right back into the chambers and pass things like SB 31. Calvin Hill just had a bill pass today to add more fees and taxes to Woodstock hotel and motel stays. This kind of crap gets seriously old. It ain’t a Revolution if we allow the same people to do-si-do this next election cycle and fill a new place of tyranny for the Georgia people.
We need to have a real Tea Party and flat out refuse to pay income tax. The income tax legislation was passed in 1913 with the Federal Reserve tax. The income generated from the un-Constitutional income tax simply pays the interest on the fiat currency we borrow from the Feds. It doesn’t cover any budget items for the National Government.
The 16th Amendment wasn’t properly ratified, either.
So let’s see these politicians put a little action behind their hype–come out and declare the federal income tax to be a gross usurpation of authority, and declare the state of Georgia exempt.
That’s change even I could get excited about. Who knows. Should that happen, I might just go back home and stop engaging in this nonsense.
I meant Federal Reserve Act but tax is more appropo actually. A fiat currency is a hidden tax. Alan Greenspan 1967- “In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation.”
This morning, Calvin Hill told me he agreed with this premise fundamentally, but in his oh, so glorious opinion, the Constitutional Tender Act isn’t feasible because banks shouldn’t have to deal with anything so cumbersome as gold and silver coin. I kid you not. What the hell are the vaults for anyway? Or do they even have vaults anymore?
Then on my way into CLOB, I saw my great Senator, John Wiles, and thanked him for screwing me on SB31. He said,”You shouldn’t care. You live in my district and it won’t effect EMC customers.” I pointed out that I actually care about the life and liberty of all Georgians, (he was very confused by this concept) and then added that I was moving to West End this year, and would be a Georgia Power customer. He brightened up then and said, “Oh, then what does it matter. I don’t need your vote next go round, cuz you won’t live in my district,” and he merrily went out the door.
I’m so very proud to be a Republican today.
Hey Jenny,
John Wiles is wrong that SB31 doesn’t effect EMC customers. It does. If you pay taxes in Georgia, that bill impacts you. The state of Georgia is Georgia Power’s largest customer. The state is NOT exempt from the increase. Who pays the state’s electric bill? You and me- taxpaying citizens. The Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority did an impact study showing the cost to the state. Every state facility – from Georgia State Patrol Offices, to College Dorms and Science buildings are included. We ALL foot that bill – whether an EMC customer of not. Just more misinformation and lies from the people who either didn’t understand it or understood it and voted for it anyway.
I finished talking about Ron Paul last year. What is over is over. Let’s move on. We need to right this ship. Now. Kemp is someone who can help with this huge task. Best possible candidate out there. Period.
Zzzzzz
Thank you Gibson. I’ll let Wiles know he’s an idiot, either intentionally or by default.
One thing our legislators continue to teach us day after day:
YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID.
“We need to have a real Tea Party and flat out refuse to pay income tax.”
Ponder this thought for a minute. A second even………..
Then consider this.
This very day, on the early morning news, how many people were unemployed was being discussed at length. Long lines at unemployment offices and places that were offering jobs were being shown. And I mean long lines.
In the last few months, money has been dispensed left and right, both by the Left and the Right.
Lots of high end employees at car plants and numerous other manufacturers, as well as bankers, lawyers, realtors, government furloughs, salesmen plus herds and herds of the common people are being displaced from the employment rolls in the US of A.
So, iffa alla these people makka no income, then they paya no income taxxas, correct?
Jenny, your Tea Party is here, it’s just nobody wants to admit it. The last few months have been about dispensing money, but soon the time to begin estimating revenues to return this money will be here.
The amount of revenue that will no longer exist this year, will dwarf that of a voluntary “Tea Party” by a zillion to one. A “Tea Party” protest of not paying taxes has its penalties and fees, of which most law abiding US citizens want no part.
Not paying income taxes on income you did not make in 2009 is a simple computation of your 1040 EZ Form, which carries neither a penalty nor fee, nor payment of an income tax. Simple math at its best. Or as the song went, “Nothing from nothin leaves nothin”.
Taking all this in consideration, there won’t be a need for a “Tea Party”, soon the “Pity Party” will be in efect. The sheer amount of income, social security, workman’s comp, and all other taxes taken from the non-existant paychecks will be phenomenal.
If you wonder why the government has been trying to prop things up so hard, self preservation is the keyword here.
We went through million, billion, now we are in the trillions like it’s a one cent sales tax promotion, a mere common word that relates to value.
Now I’m beginning to worry if zillion was actually ever a word or just a suggestion of comedic relief.
So, what comes after trillion, and how many zeros are in a zillion anyway?
Dang, I forgot to mention Mr. Kemp.
Kemp, you still wanna run???????
Kemp is like Perry McGuire without the legal degree. Somebody give the boy a job
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