Georgia’s Democratic candidate for governor vows to fight on

ATLANTA — Republican Brian Kemp resigned Thursday as Georgia’s secretary of state, a day after his campaign said he had enough votes to become governor. His Democratic rival, Stacey Abrams, refused to concede and her campaign demanded that state officials “count every single vote.”

As the state’s top election official, Kemp oversaw the race, a marquee contest in the nation’s midterms. His resignation Thursday morning came as a hearing began for a lawsuit in which five voters asked that he be barred from any future management of his election tally.

Abrams has accused Kemp of improperly using his post as secretary of state, saying his continuation in the job was a conflict of interest. Kemp said he was stepping down to start his transition to the governor’s office.