ATLANTA -- In a matter of hours, Governor-elect Brian Kemp will become the 83rd governor of Georgia. Before he can do that, he will take an Oath of Office to serve the citizens of Georgia.
Kemp, a republican, won the office by beating out democrat challenger Stacey Abrams.
He was the sitting Secretary of State when he was elected and will become the third Republican to hold the Governor’s office since post-Civil War Reconstruction - his predecessors Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal being the first two.
Kemp was also the first secretary of state since Allen D. Candler to make the shift from that office to the governor's mansion here. Candler was Georgia’s governor from 1898 to 1902. He didn't resign from the position until two days after the election.
Today, at his inauguration, Kemp will take say these words to seal the deal.
“I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of Governor of the State of Georgia and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution thereof and the Constitution of the United States.”
The oath is state law and O.C.G.A. 45-12-4 (2010) 45-12-4 oath of office reads,
"The Governor-Elect shall, before he or she enters on the duties of office, take the following oath in the presence of the General Assembly in joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives: “I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of Governor of the State of Georgia and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution thereof and the Constitution of the United States.”
Ga. Const. 5, § 1, ¶ 6 O.C.G.A. § 45-12- 4 Cross-References:
a. The federal constitution requires that the Governor be bound by oath or affirmation to support the federal constitution. See U.S. Const., Art. 6, cl. 3.
b. Any public officer who willfully and intentionally violates the terms of his or her oath as prescribed by law shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years. O.C.G.A. §16-10-1."
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