A higher-than-expected number of black men voted for Republican Brian Kemp in Georgia’s gubernatorial election, prompting questions of their voting habits in a post-Barack Obama era.
Democrat Stacey Abrams admitted defeat on Nov. 16, more than a week after Election Day 2018 had passed. Her concession ended one of the closest races — and one of the most controversial — in Georgia’s modern history. Ultimately, Kemp won by nearly 55,000 votes out of around 3,939,000 total votes cast.
This margin of victory is much smaller considering Georgia law requires candidates to obtain more than 50 percent of the total vote or else face a runoff with the second-highest contender. In this context, Kemp escaped a second election with Abrams by about 17,000 votes.
Eight percent of black men pulled the lever for Kemp on Election Day, according to the Associated Press’ VoteCast. CNN’s network exit polling projected that number to be as much as 11 percent. The numbers reflect the double-digit support Donald Trump enjoyed from this demographic in Georgia following the 2016 presidential election. Exit polling following the 2016 election indicated that 15 percent of black men voted for Trump, bucking the norms of the previous two presidential election cycles. – READ MORE