Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp fends off Democrat Stacey Abrams for a second term, NBC News projects

Governor Brian Kemp holds up four fingers to indicate “four more years” as he speaks after winning the Republican primary during his primary election watch party in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 24, 2022.

NBC News projected that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp would win a second term in a race that was too close to call.

Throughout the campaign, polls showed Kemp leading by more than 5 percentage points. Kemp had a decided advantage this time as the incumbent governor with an above water approval rating.

After her loss to Kemp, she brought the issue of voting rights to the forefront of the national conversation. Democrats were elected to the US Senate in Georgia in 2020.

Donald Trump asked the state's secretary of state to find enough votes to win the election. When they certified Biden's electoral college win in Georgia, Kemp refused to do Trump's bidding.

Trump endorsed David Perdue over Kemp in the primary.

Republicans have spent the last four years vilifying her, even though she was instrumental in turning Georgia blue on the national level in 2020.

In the months leading up to the election, voters listed the economy and inflation as their top concerns, as Republicans saw the tide shift in their favor. Two weeks before the election, she was criticized for saying that abortion was an economic issue.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that reproductive rights should be left to the states. In Georgia, abortion was an issue. State legislators tried to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. A judge said that was incorrect.