Brian Kemp talks excitement surrounding Georgia election

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Brian Kemp talks excitement surrounding Georgia election

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp talks receiving Trump's endorsement on 'Your World.'

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," August 1, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The other day, we endorsed a great gentleman from Georgia. He was probably five points down. He won the election by 40 points.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TRISH REGAN, GUEST HOST: That was President Trump talking about Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for governor of Georgia.

Now a tight race with Democrat rival Stacey Abrams. It's all part of a new push by the president to get out the vote for GOP candidates.

Joining us right now is Georgia Republican Brian Kemp.

We did call Stacey Abrams to come on the show as well. But she was unavailable today.

So good to have you here, Brian.

BRIAN KEMP, R-GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Great to be with you.

REGAN: Is the president helping you?

KEMP: Oh, yes. He helped us big in the primary.

They're all in on this race. So we're looking forward to hopefully getting him back to Georgia. Hopefully, the vice president will be back. And we're on the ground already working hard.

We had a great run-off victory. But we're back at work pushing hard to get the vote out. Tremendous excitement that I am seeing on the ground that, quite honestly, I hadn't seen in a long time here in Georgia. So we're ready to go.

REGAN: What is fueling that?

KEMP: I think just having a nominee on the Republican side that was kind of a come-from-behind kid, if you will, because I ran a campaign that was based on putting Georgians first ahead of the special interests, the status quo, the politically correct, and those that are here illegally.

And I think people are ready for that. They're tired of the special interest. That's what the president ran on, and that's what I have run on is putting Georgians first.

REGAN: So when you think about the issues that resonate most there in Georgia, and they're national issues as well, whether it be the economy, whether it be immigration, what are voters telling you is most important to them?

KEMP: Well, I have traveled to all 159 counties in our state in my role as the secretary of state here.

But I have also been in the private sector for 30 years literally as a hardworking Georgian and a small business guy in construction and agriculture.

And when I go across the state, people are really asking the question, who is up there fighting for us? Who is fighting for us at the state capital for the little guy out here, for the working Georgian, for the Georgian family? Who is going to keep us safe?

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: The economy.

KEMP: It's the economy, but also keeping our families safe.

We have a drug cartel problem here. It's one reason I have been so strong on tracking and deporting criminal illegals, going after street gangs. Certainly line up with the president on that when you think about gangs like MS-13, drugs, sex trafficking epidemics in our state.

I'm going to keep our families safe. I'm a father of three teenage daughters. That's something my wife and I are concerned about. But I have also been a hardworking Georgian.

And while the economy is great, there are still parts of our state that there's not a good focus there. It's the small, little guy or little lady, working Georgian out that needs the help. And that's why I have gone after cutting government regulations and putting Georgians first and making us number one for small business in the country.

REGAN: Yes. No, that's a big deal. And small business really is the engine of this country.

KEMP: It is.

REGAN: Brian, let me ask you just about your opponent.

And what is it that you think distinguishes you the most? Now, I guess the conservatives would say the fact that she's liberal. But walk me through sort of the biggest difference in policy.

KEMP: Well, it's even worse than that.

I think it's really a radical liberal. Stacey Abrams, very articulate, very smart, but she just has radical views on wanting to grow government, raising taxes, trying to have these big government policies that didn't work in the Barack Obama administration.

They're bad for Georgia. Throwing more government money after these programs is not the solution we need. We need to open up private sector markets. We need to empower small business people, working Georgians and entrepreneurs.

We need to run high-speed Internet that to all parts of our state. That is truly the next interstate of the 21st century. We need somebody that knows this state that will push those things and move our whole state forward vs. trying to please people in New York and California.

REGAN: Let me go sort of big picture with you, because I think that this is perhaps a problem right now within the Democratic Party overall. I mean, I think, historically, they kind of represented more working-class, and they have gotten away from that, whether it be with Hillary Clinton, whether it be with Elizabeth Warren or perhaps your opponent there.

You have also got Bernie Sanders, which has captivated a big part of the party. What does this mean for Republicans overall, I mean, not just your race, but as we go into midterms? Are the Democrats too far from center right now?

KEMP: Well, I think they are.

And, certainly, when you think about some of the people that have been elected around the country that have gotten national exposure that actually have a socialist agenda, I mean, that is just way too far. It's not going to play in Georgia.

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: I got to leave it there. Forgive me.

KEMP: Even with minority base...

REGAN: We're up against a hard break.

KEMP: Thank you.

REGAN: Thank you so much, Brian, for joining us.

END

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