Kemp was criticized by voting rights advocates for purging 1.4 million inactive voters from voter rolls during his tenure, including 668,000 in 2017. During the 2016 election, Kemp was the only state official to reject help from the Department of Homeland Security to guard against Russian interference. Kemp was criticized after a data breach of over six million voters' personal information to twelve organizations occurred in 2015. Kemp was subsequently elected to a full term as Georgia secretary of state in 2010 he was reelected in 2014. In 2010, Kemp was appointed secretary of state of Georgia by Governor Sonny Perdue following the resignation of Karen Handel to run for the governorship. In 2002, he was elected to the Georgia State Senate. Prior to entering politics, Kemp owned several agribusinesses, financial services, and real estate companies. A Republican, he was the 27th secretary of state of Georgia from 2010 to 2018 and a member of the Georgia State Senate from 2003 until 2007.īorn in Athens, Georgia, Kemp is a graduate of the University of Georgia. Brian Porter Kemp (born November 2, 1963) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 83rd governor of Georgia since January 2019.
