Gov.-elect Brian Kemp stepped before microphones Saturday morning for the first time as the uncontested governor-elect after ten contentious days of vote counting after the general election.
"It's time to leave the divisive politics of the past behind us and focus on Georgia's bright and promising future," Kemp said during his press conference.
Kemp's short press conference remained sparse on answers to questions posed by reporters about plans for his upcoming administration, though he said he did plan to address rural healthcare, an issue he skirted during his campaign.
Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams bowed out of the battle for the governor's mansion Friday evening with a fiery speech that excoriated not only Kemp but the state's election system.
Abrams acknowledged Kemp as the victor in the contentious election battle, while refusing to concede to the governor-elect while blaming him for what she called his "gross mismanagement" of the election as the state's secretary of state.
Kemp held the post while running for the state's highest office, defiantly refusing to step down during his campaign, despite allegations of a conflict of interest from persons on both sides of the political aisle.
When asked about election system reform, a hallmark of Abrams' campaign, Kemp was circumspect.
"I stand ready to work with anybody that wants to change election law. But in Georgia, we have those laws in place for a reason -- to make sure that we have secure, accessible, fair elections in our state. And we have done that," Kemp said. "We've had some of the smoothest elections that we've ever had, over the last eight-and-a-half years. And we have processes to make sure only eligible people are casting their ballots, and not only are our elections secure, but they're accessible."
Kemp said it was time to look forward and promised to address public education and small businesses across the state. He spoke with reporters for about ten minutes before stepping away from the microphones to a smattering of applause.