Brian Kemp's political machine is going all-in for Trump in Georgia

ATLANTA — Weeks after he reconciled with Donald Trump, Gov. Brian Kemp is ramping up his political network to turn out the vote for the former president and down-ticket Republicans.

The Kemp-aligned federal Hardworking Americans PAC is bolstered by a $1 million donation from GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson, the casino magnate who could spend more than $90 million this cycle to help Trump’s third White House bid.

Federal records released this week show the Kemp-backed PAC has $1.4 million in cash on hand, a sum that will surely grow as November nears. The governor is on a fundraising trip to Texas and California this week, aides say.

The new effort, unveiled as early voting in Georgia begins Tuesday, is the first by Kemp’s political network to make a statewide push for Trump, and it marks a new phase of their relationship.

Previously, Kemp-backed groups were mostly focused on a handful of down-ticket legislative races on the November ballot, and it was unclear whether he would redirect their focus after Trump unleashed a 10-minute tirade targeting the governor and his wife, Marty, at an Aug. 3 rally. The two have since declared a truce, and they reconciled in person earlier this month in Augusta.

The new initiative is expected to be a mix of text, mail and digital ads. It involves four spots featuring Kemp speaking directly to the camera as he savages Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic and immigration policies.

“Your vote in this election can stop this insanity and save America,” Kemp said in the ads, which don’t directly mention Trump’s name.

The blitz answers a lingering question among Georgia politicians about whether Kemp would deploy his political machine, which helped him defeat Democrat Stacey Abrams in a 2022 rematch, to aid Trump in a neck-and-neck race in a state Republicans consider crucial in November.

Trump’s campaign is employing a largely untested strategy of relying mostly on outside groups to turn out GOP voters, a contrast from Harris’ more conventional approach. She’s staking her campaign on hundreds of paid staffers in dozens of offices scattered across the state.

That means the Kemp-backed PAC, along with other Republican-aligned outfits such as Greater Georgia and the Faith and Freedom Coalition, could play outsized roles in a state as closely divided as Georgia.

The governor’s network has already devoted roughly $2 million to help a half-dozen GOP challengers and incumbents, mostly in metro Atlanta. The $1 million check from Adelson, along with money from other Kemp and Trump allies, will finance the statewide expansion.

Adelson, the wife of the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, is no stranger to Georgia politics. Sheldon Adelson courted then-Gov. Nathan Deal for years as he fought to legalize casino gambling in Georgia.

It remains outlawed in the state, and efforts to legalize sports gambling and horse racing have stalled. Kemp aides say Miriam Adelson’s contribution will go solely to get-out-the-vote efforts in Georgia.

Adelson isn’t the only Trump supporter who dug into their bank accounts to help Kemp’s political machine after the former president set aside his long-running feud with the Georgia Republican.

Records also show Bill White, a Trump ally and outspoken Kemp critic, wrote a $1,000 check on Aug. 23 — the same day Trump declared his long-simmering feud with Kemp was over. Records show it was promptly refunded to White a few days later.