Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has won reelection, Decision Desk HQ projects, defeating Stacey Abrams in one of the most closely watched races in the country. Kemp, the incumbent Republican, surpassed 50 percent of the votes in Tuesday’s election, avoiding a runoff. It was a repeat matchup from four years ago, when Kemp bested Abrams by 55,000 votes, or just 1.4 percentage points. Abrams had been on the cusp of history. Voters across the country have never elected a Black woman governor. Political observers had pointed to her bid as the most likely to break through in a year where several Black women sought the office around the country. This election, Abrams had new challenges compared with four years ago. She faced an incumbent instead of running for an open seat, in an election year where Democrats had been facing headwinds around the country — the president’s party historically performs poorly in midterm elections. Abrams, a longtime voting rights advocate, tried to persuade more voters to show up to the polls, outreach that is credited with helping Democrats in 2020 and 2021. But while Georgians showed up in record numbers in early voting, turnout boosted by the organizing of Black women, it wasn’t enough. Read more about the Georgia election through the 🔗 in our bio.