Pence, in split from Trump, set to rally with Kemp in Ga.
NEW YORK — Former Vice President Mike Pence will campaign with Georgia’s incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp the day before this month’s GOP primary in his most significant political break with former President Donald Trump to date.
Kemp’s campaign announced Friday morning that Pence will headline a rally for Kemp on May 23, the day before the vote. That puts Pence in direct conflict with Trumpendorsed candidate David Perdue, who has been trailing in the polls.
Kemp is one of Trump’s top targets this election cycle because of his refusal to cooperate with Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“Brian Kemp is my friend, a man dedicated to faith, family and the people of Georgia,” Pence said in a statement. “I am proud to offer my full support for four more years of Brian Kemp as governor of the great state of Georgia!”
The news comes as Pence has taken steps to distance himself from Trump as the former congressman and Indiana governor considers a 2024 presidential run that could put him into direct competition with his former boss.
In February, Pence said Trump was “wrong” to insist that Pence had the power to unilaterally overturn the results of the 2020 election — a power vice presidents do not possess. In a separate speech before top Republican donors, Pence urged the GOP to move on from Trump’s election grievances.
In an interview with radio host John Fredericks on the conservative Real America’s Voice, Trump declined to unleash on Pence when asked about his decision to campaign with Kemp.
“Well, Mike is trying to get involved and he’s a very nice man,” he said. “But he really let us all down.”
The former president, meanwhile, continued to pan three current and former Republican governors, including New Jersey’s Chris Christie, whom he had previously labeled “RINOs” — or “Republicans in Name
Only” — for supporting Kemp.
“We have to fight these people,” Trump said Friday.
Earlier this week, Trump had said their support “tells you all you need to know about what you are getting in Georgia — just a continuation of bad elections and a real RINO if you vote for Brian Kemp.”
“Maybe the ‘R’ in RINO really stands for reelected,” Christie quipped back.
The Georgia race is a gamble for Trump, who notched a major victory in Ohio this month when J.D. Vance, the candidate he endorsed, came from behind to win a competitive GOP Senate primary. But last week, his pick for governor in Nebraska, Charles Herbster, lost his primary amid groping allegations. And Trump faces challenges ahead, including in Pennsylvania next week, where his pick for Senate, celebrity heart surgeon Mehmet Oz, is locked in a tight, three-way race.
Kemp had been substantially ahead of Perdue in polls in March and April, and many expect Kemp will be able to prevail without a June runoff.