Georgia GOP governor’s runoff tests loyalty to Trump

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia Republicans are set to decide a bruising gubernatorial runoff that is testing conservative voters’ loyalty to President Donald Trump and their increasingly frequent rejection of the establishment.

Tuesday’s matchup between Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle pits the White House, which backs Kemp, against outgoing Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, who backs Cagle.

Democrat Stacey Abrams awaits the winner, as she tries to become the first black female governor of any American state.

A well-known figure at the Georgia Capitol, Cagle entered the Republican race as the presumed front-runner.

Kemp, even as a statewide elected official, positioned himself as a “politically incorrect conservative” outsider perpetually battling liberal Democrats.

Both Republicans have tried to align themselves with Trump, while taking hard lines on immigration, guns and social issues.

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