ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his final State of the State speech on Thursday — but it may not have been a farewell.
As the rare Republican who has defied President Donald Trump and thrived, Kemp is still trying to mold politics in the battleground state in ways that could linger after he leaves office.
He wants to help his friend Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, oust Democrat Jon Ossoff from his U.S. Senate seat. He's supporting candidates for legislature and statewide office that adhere to his small government agenda. And he’s pushing to keep Georgia’s taxes low, arguing that doing so fuels the state’s economic growth.
Operating outside the national spotlight, Kemp offers a potential model for Republicans for a post-Trump future, one that's more low-drama conservatism and less Make America Great Again populism.
“Brian Kemp has been a force in Georgia politics the likes of which we may not see again for some time,” said Stephen Lawson, a Republican strategist.
Kemp’s success is uncertain, and Democrats hope they can gain ground this year without him at the helm. They're trying to win the governor's office for the first time since 1998, get Ossoff elected to a second term and inch their way toward legislative majorities.
But Kemp's political resilience has been noteworthy at a time of national turmoil. He rebuffed Trump's efforts to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden's victory in 2020, then defeated a Trump-endorsed primary opponent in 2022. Kemp later reconciled with Trump without endorsing his election denial, and he's managed to remain an influential voice in national politics.
“Historically, you’re either the back bench, bomb-throwing conservative candidate, or you’re the more moderate business candidate,” said Ralph Reed, a longtime activist who chairs the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “But he’s been able to do both.”
In his speech Thursday, Kemp said he wants to spend $1.17 billion from Georgia’s surplus to give income tax rebates of $500 per family or $250 per person, the fourth time he’s issued such rebates. He surprised no one by calling to speed up Georgia’s planned income tax cuts to get the state’s flat tax rate down to 4.99%.
“We must continue doing everything in our power to allow the hardworking men and women of our state to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pocket in the years to come," Kemp said.
It’s the same version of an affordability agenda that Kemp has pushed for years, with a few new bells and whistles. He's calling for $2,000 one-time bonuses for teachers and university and state employees. That's a throwback to the signature promise from his first term that he delivered — $5,000 raises for every teacher. And he wants to increase retirement payments to law enforcement and endow $325 million for Georgia's first comprehensive need-based college aid program
“Refusing to grow government, budgeting conservatively and paying off debt aren't flashy," Kemp said.
It’s possible that Kemp could run for another office down the line. He’s been floated as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate or even president. But the die-hard University of Georgia graduate may just choose to go home to Athens.
“I think the Republican Party has changed forever,” said longtime Democratic state Rep. Al Williams of Midway. “His brand of Republicanism, I don’t know what kind of future it has in the MAGA world. He’s conservative but not crazy."
Democrats, hoping to move toward the majority in the swing state, argue Kemp has kept tilting Georgia toward the rich. They remain dismayed that he refused to expand Medicaid to all adults, while arguing Kemp's backing of abortion restrictions and other social conservative causes belie his moderate image.
“I think that Brian Kemp as governor has not been honestly all that different than 22 years of Republican rule that has made the American dream less attainable for most Georgians,” said Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Kemp first upset Trump by naming Kelly Loeffler to a vacant U.S. Senate seat in 2019. Trump had wanted then-U.S. Rep. Doug Collins instead.
Trump reacted negatively again in April 2020 when Kemp allowed Georgia businesses to mostly reopen during the pandemic
After the 2020 election, Kemp stared down weeks of pressure from Trump, refusing to call a special legislative session to overturn the results.
“He’s one of the few southern governors that showed some kind of guts when it came to Donald Trump," Williams said.
With Trump partisans seizing control of the Georgia Republican Party, Kemp's reelection initially looked dicey. But with support from key suburban swing voters who liked Kemp more than Trump, he clobbered Trump’s chosen candidate, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, in a Republican primary, then cruised to a lopsided victory in a rematch with Democrat Stacey Abrams, unlike Kemp's narrow 2018 win.
“After 2020 he stood on principle and did what he thought was right — and he was rewarded for that in a major way in 2022," Lawson said.
After that triumph, a Kemp-for-president boomlet stirred. Kemp never publicly embraced it, and he was backing away from the idea by 2023. But he became chair of the Republican Governors Association, raising his visibility with donors nationwide. By August 2024, when Trump came to Atlanta and publicly trashed Kemp and his wife for 10 minutes during a rally, alarmed national Republicans brokered a truce, convincing Trump he needed Kemp to win Georgia.
Trump won his comeback months later, carrying Georgia.
Kemp declined to run for Senate this year despite pressure from Trump. Some still believe he might have a future in national politics — maybe as a vice president or a Cabinet secretary in a future Republican administration.
Regardless of future ambitions, Kemp is still trying to shape Georgia politics. His biggest bet is on Dooley in the U.S. Senate primary in May. Two Republican congressmen — Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, are also vying for the right to take on Ossoff. Dooley has been positioning himself in some ways like Kemp, an outsider betting he can keep the race focused on attacks on the Democratic incumbent.
Thus far, Kemp has stayed out of the race for governor, although one of the top Republicans jockeying to succeed him — Attorney General Chris Carr — calls himself a “Brian Kemp Republican.”
Kemp is also trying to stamp his imprint further down the ballot. For example, he appointed John King as insurance commissioner and Barbara Rivera Holmes as labor commissioner. They are Georgia’s first two Hispanic officials in statewide elected offices, part of a Kemp push to expand the party beyond white voters as Georgia grows more diverse.
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Associated Press writer Charlotte Kramon contributed.
State Sen. Gail Davenport walks on the House floor ahead of Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State speech, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Lawmakers greet Gov. Brian Kemp ahead of his State of the State speech, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during the State of the State, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.
Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. Several European partners — including France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days.
The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.
“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.
Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.
On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks.
Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.”
“Greenland is not for sale,” he said Thursday. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.
Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.
Maya Martinsen, 21, said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”
On Wednesday, Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.
Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to bolster security in the Arctic.
The Russian embassy in Brussels on Thursday lambasted what it called the West's “bellicose plans” in response to “phantom threats that they generate themselves”. It said the planned military actions were part of an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda” by NATO.
“Russia has consistently maintained that the Arctic should remain a territory of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation," the embassy said.
Rasmussen announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.
Commenting on the outcome of the Washington meeting on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nevertheless that the dialogue with the U.S. did not mean “the danger has passed.”
Speaking on Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact despite the Washington meeting, but she welcomed the creation of the working group.
The most important thing for Greenlanders is that they were directly represented at the meeting in the White House and that “the diplomatic dialogue has begun now,” Juno Berthelsen, a lawmaker for the pro-independence Naleraq opposition party, told AP.
A relationship with the U.S. is beneficial for Greenlanders and Americans and is “vital to the security and stability of the Arctic and the Western Alliance,” Berthelsen said. He suggested the U.S. could be involved in the creation of a coast guard for Greenland, providing funding and creating jobs for local people who can help to patrol the Arctic.
Line McGee, 38, from Copenhagen, told AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”
Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
People walk on a street in Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
From center to right, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Denmark's Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, rear, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, right, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with senators from the Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)
Fishermen load fishing lines into a boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
