Kemp opts to skip state GOP convention in June

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Governor Kemp announced the second of two healthcare waiver proposals to increase coverage on Monday. STEPHEN FOWLER / GPB NEWS

Gov. Brian Kemp will not attend this year's state Republican convention, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

The convention, which will take place in June in Columbus, serves as a way for the Georgia Republican Party to nominate candidates and leadership as well as establish priorities and bylaws. 

Kemp's decision to skip this year's convention is the latest development in the growing rift between Kemp and the state Republican Party. Emory University political science professor Bernard Fraga said this choice is not surprising.

"It's surprising maybe for folks who haven't been following the drama between the state party and the governor in recent years," he said. "But I think not surprising for many of the governor's supporters who, again, feel like this rift has been getting wider over time instead of shrinking, as you might expect, after the kind of 2020 heated election rhetoric settled down." 

Kemp famously stood up to former President Donald Trump when Trump alleged voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. There was no evidence of voter fraud, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched a probe into Trump's efforts to overturn the presidential election in Georgia. 

Some Georgia Republicans continue to support Trump. Kemp won reelection over his Trump-backed primary challenger, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue.