Former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday endorsed fellow Republican Brian Kemp in his bid for reelection as Georgia governor.
The key endorsement comes from a member of former President Donald Trump's administration though Trump has remained silent on the general election after Kemp handily defeated a Trump-back primary challenger, former Sen. David Perdue.
Haley announced her endorsement on Twitter, saying, "Governor Brian Kemp knows how to win. He's a fighter who kept Georgia open for business, cut income taxes, suspended the gas tax, and brought record new jobs into the Peach State.
"Governor Kemp beat Stacey Abrams once, and he'll do it again in November," Haley wrote. Kemp narrowly defeated Abrams four years ago, and she never conceded.
Kemp responded in a written statement that he is "honored to have the support of Ambassador Nikki Haley as we work to stop the Biden-Abrams agenda from taking hold in Georgia. As a former governor, Ambassador Haley knows that state leadership is the last line of defense against the failed liberal policies that have created record inflation, high gas prices, and economic recession."
Kemp added: "With her support — and the support of conservatives across the country — Marty, the girls, and I will wake up every day from now through Election Day and fight to keep our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family."
Kemp's team told Fox News that Haley likely will join Kemp in campaigning in the coming weeks as she has been for other Republicans for the past year.
Haley follows Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., as the second nationally known member of the GOP to endorse Kemp. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, has been helping Kemp with fundraising.
The Real Clear Politics average of polls on Tuesday had Kemp leading Abrams by 4.2 percentage points.
Trump's handpicking of Perdue in the primary and silence since the GOP primary comes after the former president's close loss in Georgia in the 2020 election.
Kemp, who said he supported and voted for Trump, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican who won his primary this year, drew Trump's ire after they didn't agree with his claims of election fraud in the state and stood by the vote totals turned in on election night.
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